Timeline: After
by moon maiden of time
Summary: -follows Timeline: Chromosome 24, crossed with Star Trek 2009, Riddick/Vaako- You keep what you kill and have what you hold.
1. I

Riddick makes a contemplative noise and smoothes a finger over the black marks decorating his side and back. "You're shittin' me," he mutters.

Vaako looks over his shoulder at the Lord Marshall. "I wish I were," he murmurs back and remembers the cool, bristly feeling of a brush tickling along his skin. Riddick's hand skims upwards, fingers circling around the callused scars on his neck, the already healing Purifying scars, and Vaako shivers at the touch. "Why would I lie?"

Riddick leans down and sweeps the flat of his tongue over a Purifying mark. Vaako jerks backward that, a helpless noise trapped in the back of his throat. Chuckling, Riddick noses underneath his jaw, mouth brushing skin as he says, "You wouldn't."

Vaako offers his throat, eyes fluttering shut as Riddick takes advantage of the move. He arches back, his body for the taking. Instead, Riddick moves back, a heavy, hovering weight over Vaako. He waits until Vaako's knuckles are white from clenching uselessly in the sheets of the bed and says, "You're not gettin' Purified anymore."

Vaako snarls over his shoulder, teeth bared angrily. It's treason and sedition and all sorts of rebellion, but Vaako says, "No."

Riddick tangles his hand in the long hair trailing down the bare back and slowly pulls until Vaako is bent back uncomfortably, throat stretched. He cocks his head, silvered eyes taking in every inch of pale skin. "That one's an order, Commander."

It's proof that the Purifyings are wearing off when Vaako grits out, "Fuck you, Lord Marshall."

Riddick grins slow and wide like, gives a rusty chuckle, and then proceeds with ravishing Vaako.

Later, when Vaako is still gasping for breath by his side, Riddick skates his teeth over a free patch of skin and says, "It's still an order." Vaako glares but says nothing about it.

* * *

Three days later, Vaako is ready to claw himself out of his own skin. Everything is intensified, rolling through his skin and muscle and nerves like electricity. During a meeting with the Lord Marshall, he digs grooves in his palms and chews through his lower lip in order not to go insane.

He is still, silent, until Lord Marshall dismisses the meeting. The men say nothing as they leave the main chambers, but their discontent is in their eyes. Their new Lord Marshall is declaring simple exploratory missions instead of the usual kill and convert missions. The door closes quietly behind them.

Vaako remains focused on the shiny tile beneath his feet and feels the warmth of blood sink underneath his nails, in between his teeth. There's the_ thunk_ of boots on ground and then one rough hand is gently tilting his face up.

The thumb trails along his chin, draws along his lip. Riddick pulls away, the blood a rusty-colored smear on his thumb. "I don't think that's a good idea," he says quietly, but the murmur echoes in the empty chamber.

Vaako swallows and feels the flush of heat along his skin. The axis of the universe tilts and his world spins. "It's too much," he whispers and bends his head into his hands. Clammy skin and sticky blood heats to fire against his brow. He's dealt with pain before, but this influx of pure _feeling_ is something he's not felt in years. He pants, trying to get his breath.

There's the slight _creak_ of leather and Riddick is facing him. "Calm down," he rumbles and there is an order in that deep voice that Vaako can't help obeying. He slams his eyes closed, presses the heels of his hands into his temples. Then he is weightless as Riddick scoops him up like some sort of blushing bride and they are moving. He hears the hush that goes in their wake and wants to kill Riddick. He may not care for his reputation, but shit like this is going to cause the men under his command to eye him like he's nothing and that does fuck-all for the chain of command.

(With the absence of Purifyings, the amount one Cylus Vaako curses increases an almost astronomical amount.)

Then there are soft sheets around him and he opens his eyes to the darkened chambers of the Lord Marshall. Riddick walks off to somewhere else. The hellhounds circle around him, sniffing. One finally draws close, ears pressed back, and whines disconsolately at him; it nuzzles his hand, ears perking happily when he finally scratches at it.

Riddick comes back and scoops him up again. Vaako would definitely feel more inclined to hit him if he weren't so exhausted from trying to scratch himself bloody to get out of his skin; also, the urge to hit Riddick would be increased if it weren't for the broad, warm chest and the steady _thump_-_thump_-_thump_ against his ear.

The room they go into is lit by a few candles. Riddick stands him up and strips him down and places him in a hot, tubful of water. Vaako bites down on his already bloody lip to stifle the pleased moan that wants to come forth at the feeling. Smirking, Riddick undresses and sinks in behind him.

They soak, steam rising in lazy tendrils around them. When all the tension has somehow seeped out of Vaako's frame and all he feels is the lazy buzz of content, Riddick stands, picks him up, and carries him to the bed. When Riddick disappears for a few moments, Vaako tangles himself in the cool sheets and waits. Soon enough, Riddick is back and curls around him in the bed.

Sleep, however, is far off for Vaako. "You know my story. What's yours?"

Riddick stills and then slowly tells him the strange, saddening story of Richard B. Riddick. It's all lovely, low murmurs in his ear and he sleeps.

When finally does wake up, he knows that the Purifyings have completely washed away and he's a normal human being once again. Well, he amends, almost normal. The only way he knows this is that he has the burning desire to strangle Riddick and he does not feel like a junkie coming down off a high anymore.

He dresses and waits, the hellhounds padding around him his only company. When the Lord Marshall Riddick does enter, he is able to dodge the punch to the face but cannot avoid the low kick to his stomach. Bent over from the hit, an elbow comes up smacks him in the face. Then he stands and, in a few precise motions, has Vaako pinned against the wall.

Vaako does not struggle. He only says, "You goddamn bastard," under his breath.

Riddick tilts his head and skims his mouth over the pounding pulse in his throat. "You seem to be feeling better." Then he brings one hand up and dabs at the blood gathering at the corner of his mouth. "Fiesty," he adds.

Vaako breaks out of the pin and turns, the burn of anger in his cool hazel eyes. "Fiesty?" he asks, almost incredulously. Then he hooks his hands around Riddick's neck and slams a kiss over that wide, smartass mouth. Riddick takes it in stride, kissing back as good as Vaako's giving and sliding his hands under Vaako's ass to heft him higher.

Vaako groans and lets himself be lifted. This was not at all what he planned. But, he decides as Riddick drops him to the bed and crawls over him, this may just be even better.

* * *

He hears the echoes that whisper along the walls. He walks, and people gather behind him, gossiping behind closed fingers. "Cause for change," the once-nobles say; their words indicate that there is nothing good about that. "Weakening," his men whisper and he glares when they frown at him. "Not Purifying anymore," some mutter, eyeing his scar-free neck as if it is diseased. "Lord Marshall's whore," few murmur and none look him in the eye.

He walks the halls and holds his head high. He feels disgust for these people, disgust and pity. He wants to shake them out of their emotionless lives and tell them how wrong they're being and—

But he does not. After all, the new Lord Marshall is changing things now.

He continues on his way and is stopped by the former Dame Vaako, Leelia Krypkus. "You," she hisses when she spots him and glides her way over to him like the snake she is. Her smile is false and her eyes are cold and she is nothing like the Sarge he once compared her to. "You…" she trails off. "You…_breeder_," and the hissed word is the best curse she can come up with.

"You have taken the Lord Marshall," she says sweetly up at him. She grabs his wrist with strong, bony fingers and pulls him close.

"I have done nothing," he replies calmly and bends her fingers back. There is a faint _pop_ and the former Dame snaps her hand back. Vaako feels sick, although he knows she is really not hurt, him having broken nothing.

"You have weaseled your way into his bed," she spits.

Vaako steps closer, towering over her. "I have done _nothing_ that Lord Marshall hasn't wanted," he says. His hot self-loathing turns to bubbling victory when she steps back and scowls up at him. She glares up at him, eyes cold and hard; then she turns in a swirl of perfumed fabrics and glides away, her very own surrender to him.

Sighing, he continues on his way. In the bed chambers of the Lord Marshall, the hellhounds raise their muzzles to him and gather for pets. When they have settled back around the room, he strips and lies in the bed. Soon enough, Riddick joins him. One big hand traces over his side, over those painted symbols; a warm mouth presses along the curve of his shoulder.

They sleep.


	2. II

He is on his way to the main chambers when it happens. Really, he should have expected it. Anger and tension has been ratcheting higher and higher throughout the ship ever since the last "exploratory" mission. None of the soldiers are happy about the new direction this Lord Marshall is taking. As the First among Commanders, he is one of the closest men to the Lord Marshall since the change of the councils. He is also close to the Lord Marshall due to the fact that they are lovers, but that is only rumor and only a few believe it.

Challenges have been happening more and more frequently, so he should be prepared. Instead, his mind is on the way Riddick pressed him harshly to the bed the night before, mouth trailing fire over his skin.

He is simply lucky he sees the flash of a blade and his instincts scream as he ducks. Adrenaline seeps into his blood as he pulls his lone dagger from its place on his waist. People crowd around them as he jumps to his feet.

Ader, his thoughts whisper, a soldier under another Commander, a man Leelia had once lain with. Ader, the man who had tried to marry her before she had snubbed him and he, in turn, had taken up with some new convert. (The only reason he knows these last bits is because Leelia would whisper gossip in his ear in the dark; gossip of their "enemies," the ones who could displace them in the aristocratic order.) Ader, his eyes dark and angry, spins his sword in one hand and points it at Vaako.

The man charges and Vaako is sorely reminded that he _only has a dagger, fuck fuck fuck_. He settles into a crouch and just manages to dodge the sword point. He spins, hears the _swish_ of a passing blade, and stabs the dagger down.

Unfortunately, the blade glances off the protective armor and Vaako curses wildly as he backs away again. Ader swings the sword again and Vaako ducks, rolls. He lands in a crouch and throws out one leg in the hopes of sweeping Ader's feet out from under him. Ader, however, jumps over the sweep with ease and swings the sword down.

Vaako almost gets his foot chopped off, but the adrenaline pounds in even harder and he gets enough momentum in him to roll away.

Ader snarls at him and lunges.

Vaako rolls again, jumps forward and knocks Ader back when the soldier is in front of him, body and sword swung too far forward. Vaako presses the tip of the blade to the vulnerable throat. "Yield?" he asks quietly.

"Never," Ader hisses and throws all his weight behind the punch; Vaako only turns his head with the movement. Ader curses him vehemently and pushes up with monumental force. They roll and Ader springs away from Vaako.

Vaako licks the corner of his mouth and tastes the copper of blood. Ader charges at him again. A swing of the sword that glances off Vaako's cheek. A turn has the sword behind him, a slight _swish_ as more strength is placed behind the blow. Suddenly, Vaako feels lighter, but that is no concern because Ader is sinking in close, swinging wildly. The pound of blood loud in his ears, Vaako realizes just how fucked he is, a small dagger blocking the large blade.

"You…bastard," Ader calls as he moves. "You stole her from me!" he yells and lunges again.

Vaako glares at the fool as realization sinks in. "She is not mine anymore! Chase her if you so wish!" and he blocks the swinging blade with his arm. It bites into his skin, but he pulls away before Ader can drag him any closer.

Ader sneers. "She only deserves the best. And First among Commanders is the best!"

Vaako wants to tell the idiot she'll only go after Lord Marshall now, seeing how the First among Commanders can, and has, failed. But there is a bright spark in those dark eyes and he recognizes the mad look. He had seen in it the Marines, had seen it in Sarge at the end, and knows that Ader is just looking for an excuse to kill. Ader lunges, sword pointed, and Vaako knows that there is only one thing he can do.

Chromosome 24, Vaako tells himself and steps into the move. The sword sinks into his chest and Vaako _feels_ the scrap of metal against rib, the sliced lung, the slow fill of blood in that empty space. His dagger goes up into the side, underneath the ridge of armor. It slides in softly, as if Ader's skin is simply butter instead muscle and flesh. Blood slides down the handle and coats his hand in slick warmth. Vaako suddenly feels sick, bile crawling up his throat.

Ader goes pale, red red blood bubbling over his lower lip to dribble down his chin. He steps back unsteadily, the sword still left in Vaako's chest. It hurts like a bitch, but black dots quickly cloud his vision and everything blanks out.

When he does wake up, it is to a plain white ceiling. For a moment he is John Grimm again, EMT. Then he sits up and sees a young convert in black robes tending to a man next to him. She glances cursorily over to him and then turns her full attention back to the man.

Vaako takes in a breath, glances around, and realizes none are Ader. He swallows back the bile and acts as if he can breathe. He pushes away the feeling of drowning in his own skin and concentrates on the true physicality of the situation. Everything feels as it should, no scraped rib, no punctured lung, no death by choking on his own blood. He even reaches up and touches his cheek and lip; nothing but dried blood is left there.

He stands and stretches back, feeling the pull of perfectly healthy muscles. The young convert/nurse does not see him when he slides from the room.

He heads to his own rooms, the small dorms in the soldiers' quarters. His stuff is still there, although many of the men eye him suspiciously since he spends many nights away. He enters and strips from his bloody clothes. A glance at the mirror shows uninjured skin, pale and whole…and the missing length of his hair.

With the long hair on top and the shorn sides, the short back looks fairly ridiculous. Actually, he amends, reaching for the small knife under his bed and not the one strapped to his waist and probably still covered in blood, the cut had been ridiculous the whole time. Leelia had insisted on it and he had meekly complied. He cuts the top down until it's a fairly short length and he looks a bit like John Grimm once more.

The loud _thunk_ of boots make him spin, knife clenched in his hand. Riddick's mouth curls in a gently mocking smile. "Hear you took out a guy today," he says and leans against the wall.

Vaako frowns and scrubs at the bit of blood sticking to his skin. "He challenged me for the position of First among Commanders." Avoiding those eerie mirrored eyes, he grabs the dagger from his clothes. Just as he thought, it's covered in dried blood. His skin crawls at the sight. He wants nothing more than Ader to be alive, fucking doing whatever he was, before he decided to challenge for the spot First among Commanders.

He rubs at the dagger until it is as silvery and shiny as Riddick's eyes and then continues rubbing as his hands start to shake.

There is silence as Riddick moves over to him and takes the blade from Vaako; it vanishes somewhere on Riddick's person. One big hand comes up and traces over his cheek. "He knew what he was getting into," that deep voice rumbles.

Vaako sighs and allows himself to lean into the surprisingly soft touch. There are all these words hiding behind his teeth and under his tongue about not just Ader, but all the men he has ever had to kill.

That big hand comes down, curves around his shoulder. Then the other arm goes under him and lifts. Vaako wants to bite out something about this not happening anymore and he can walk, damn it, he doesn't need anyone to fucking _carry_ him around, but the urge dies as Riddick's warmth slowly seeps into his body.

Riddick lies on the small bed and Vaako curls close to him. One callused hand rubs along his side, up and down constantly, and the feeling settles his jittering nerves. No words come from Riddick, but his touch is light and it says everything words do not.


	3. III

Vaako wakes. The sheets are twisted around his legs, the rest of him cold in the still air of the ship. Riddick is absent. There is a dip in the bed where the Lord Marshall had lain and there is no warmth left in the spot when Vaako runs his hand over it.

Vaako swallows and breathes deeply. When he blinks all he can see is red red red. His family, his friends, both in and out of the Marines, his crew, his men, his enemies…

For a moment he wishes Riddick were there next to him, but the desire passes as he swings his legs over the side of the bed and sits up. He glances at the timepiece and sees it is nearing evening. He places his head in his hands, fingers curling in his military short hair. There are voices echoing behind his eyes: _murderer, monster, killer_…

He lets out a slow sigh, the voices fading as his lungs empty. The weight of the years rest on his shoulders, heavy and solid and he wants nothing more than a large bottle of good bourbon to drink everything away.

It is silent in the room with the exception of his light breathing. And, then, there is a knock on the door.

Vaako lifts his head and stares at the door. If it were Riddick, the man would have simply opened the door and walked in as he pleased. But who else would…? He stands, pulls some pants on to cover his nudity, and then rips the door open.

Undaunted, a tiny woman stands there, barely dressed in a slinky dress. Her eyes are very very blue, like the deep oceans on Earth; her hair is very pale and very long, curling over narrow shoulders. She holds a sword in her slender hands. There is no smile on her plush mouth when she says, "Good evening, Commander Vaako."

"What do you want?" he asks gruffly. He may have not been sleeping, but that does not mean he wants people knocking at his door in the night.

The woman tips her head to the side and just stares at him with her flat blue eyes. Then she lifts the sword and holds it out to him. "This is yours," she says quietly.

What the hell—? "No, it's not," he bites out and briefly wonders what she would do if he simply slammed the door in her face. As a Necromonger she'd probably just force the door open, try to pin him, and make him listen.

"It was Lord Ader's before he reached the Underverse. Now it is yours," and she extends her slim arms even further.

Vaako does not want to touch the damn thing, but the woman is still with the posture of a soldier and he understands that this is her mission. "Fine," he says and takes the sword from her. However, when he tries to shut the door, one thin hand slams against it, keeping it open.

"You keep what you kill," she murmurs lowly, with the rote memorization of a convert.

"I have the sword," he snarls and leans close. "What else?"

"I was the Lady Ader before my partner's move to the Underverse." And the lady slips her arms around his neck and presses her mouth to his.

Oh, fuck. He forces her away and sneers. "I don't want you," he tries to explain, but her flat blue eyes are uncomprehending. Of course. Desire truly is a foreign concept to them. "I release you from your place," he tries.

That one seems to get through to her. Her clear brow furrows. "I…do not understand," she says slowly.

Unfortunately, he understands her confusion. Even if he had still been married to Leelia, this woman still would have been his. The former Lady Ader would have been forced to do whatever they said; her place would have amounted to doing humiliating, degrading tasks such as cleaning their chamber floors. He could have bedded her without shame or guilt (since that, like desire, was also foreign to them) and she would have accepted it.

"I have no need for a woman," he says gruffly and those blue eyes finally clear in understanding. As a soldier's partner, she would understand that the mission (_kill, convert, clear the way, until Underverse come_) would be the only thing that exists.

"Ah," she sighs softly. But then that flat gaze fixes on him. "And yet I am still yours to do as you please, Commander Vaako," and she dips in a graceful curtsey.

He wants nothing to do with the damn sword or the former Lady Ader. He waves a hand at her. "Fine," he finally agrees. "Live your life as you would have had you never married Lord Ader."

She inclines her head in an agreeing nod and then slides away, hips swaying hypnotically. He watches her until she melts into the shadows.

Then, "Who's the bitch?"

Vaako stares at the corner of thick shadows until he sees the gleam of silver. "Keep what you kill," he repeats emptily. "The former Lady Ader," he further explains and steps into the room, letting the sword drop to the ground and kicking it under the bed, hoping that it will simply rust there until is part of the floor.

Riddick emerges from the shadows and steps into the small room. The silver is a saving respite from the red that paints the back of his eyes. Riddick makes a soft, contemplative noise and leans forward to nose at the line of Vaako's neck.

One big hand delves beneath the waistband of his pants, palms his ass. Riddick drags him closer and skims his scar-free neck with his teeth.

Vaako digs his fingers into the broad shoulders and pretends he cannot see the glint of light along the edge of that damned sword. Another brush of warm mouth against his skin and coherent thought flees.

There's another soft noise, mostly muffled by his skin. Then Riddick hefts him up and carries him to the bed.


	4. IV

Riddick is leaned forward, elbows on his knees. He idly spins a dagger on his fingers; the blade blurs, light occasionally glinting off the edge. He listens to the Councilors and tucks the words at the back of his mind. There are low comments about the nobles and their lack of position; there are even more comments about the distinct lack of conversion missions.

One Councilor is in the middle of expounding how conversion is an integral part of their culture, their society, their _faith_ when Riddick leans back in the throne. The Councilor pauses in his description and licks his lips nervously.

Riddick twirls the dagger around his fingers and says, "All of you. Out." The dagger pauses in his hand, tip pointed at the ornate doors of the chamber. The Councilors repress their sighs and frowns and do as their Lord Marshall says. Those words have been his dismissal phrase since he has come into his position.

Most of the Councilors leave. There is only one who stays in place, eyes focused on Riddick. It is Commander Shay, a woman who had fought her way to the top with the vicious practicality of all Necromongers.

Riddick's face is a blank mask, made more so by the darkened surface of his goggles.

She steps forward and bows her head in a nod. Then she looks up at him with hard green eyes and murmurs, "Lord Marshall, there is another matter which I must present to you." When Riddick remains silent, she pushes forward, "There is a…rumor, which, if true, will have major consequences."

Now the dagger pauses in the Lord Marshall's hand. "What's the gossip, Commander?" he asks.

She folds her hands behind her back. "There is the rumor that you have claimed the First among Commanders."

The dagger goes into the arm of the throne with a _thunk_. "You could say that," Riddick agrees. "And?"

Commander Shay sighs and looks as if she wants to kill somebody. "With such a position, it will seem as if he has weakened. His men will try to overthrow him." Then she pauses and lifts one eyebrow. "More so than usual, that is."

Riddick does not frown. "And? The Commander can take care of himself just fine."

Commander Shay does frown and now she looks as if she wants to kill the Lord Marshall—not for his power though, but for his ability to frustrate her. "If his position at your side is cemented, their disquiet will end."

Those blank goggles stare at her. "Why are you telling me this?" The tone of his voice is simply curious, not really interested, as if he is merely amusing her.

She lifts her chin and squares her shoulders. "The First among Commanders is a strong leader. He is needed in clearing the way for the Underverse." She prudently makes no mention of the Councilors' belief of how the Necromonger way to the Underverse is faltering.

The dagger is pulled out of the throne and twirled absently again. "So cementing the Commander's…position?"

There is certain tone to the last word, but Commander Shay ignores it in favor of stepping even closer and saying, "You must declare him your consort. It will be seen as a position of power instead of him weakening for his baser desires."

Riddick shifts so that he's settled even more firmly in his chair; the blade flips and sings through the still air. It is an encouraging sign, so Commander Shay pulls the box out of her pocket and tosses it towards the throne. It lands on the ground and rolls a few times; the box pops open halfway through one tumble and a chain and pendent slips out and slides across the floor.

Riddick ignores the box in favor of leaning down and picking up the chain. It is silvery, the linked chains almost miniscule. The pendent dangles, catches the light and bounces it back. It's a twist of spiked metal, but when he rubs his thumb over it, it is smooth.

Riddick lets it hang from his hand as he turns his regard back to Commander Shay. "That all?"

Commander Shay sees the dismissal for what it is. She nods once, sharply, and turns on her heel to leave the Necropolis.

* * *

Vaako raises an eyebrow when one large hellhound steps onto Riddick's bed. It pads on the bedding over to him and presses its cold, wet nose into the crook of his neck. Vaako twitches away from it, letting out a huff when one massive paw is placed on his chest to keep him from moving. It noses at his skin, snuffling and huffing. Once done, it pulls back and just stares unnervingly at him.

Lovely.

Riddick steps back into the darkened bedroom and simply leans against the wall to watch.

As the hellhound shifts its weight, Vaako grunts out, "Call your beast off, Lord Marshall."

One corner of Riddick's mouth tips up in a smirk. "Nah. She seems to like you."

The muzzle edges down again, sharp teeth glinting in the dim lighting. "You mean 'seems to want to eat me'," Vaako corrects, the slightest bit of Old Earth accent—Southern Georgian, to be exact—slipping in and slurring the edges of the words.

The spikes of the hellhound flare out and Vaako stills. There's one long inhale next to his neck and then there's a big, rough tongue slobbering over his face. Done now, the hellhound bounds off the bed and goes away to curl up in a darkened corner.

Vaako sighs and tries to rub away the hellhound saliva. Riddick's chuckle is a raspy, dark sound as he strides over to the bed and makes himself comfortable on Vaako. He sounds almost amused when he says, "See? She didn't eat you." Then one hand skims over Vaako's side, fingers scratching lightly over the protruding ribs. "Too bony, anyway. Hellhounds like their prey with more meat."

Vaako forces himself to ignore the taunt, opting instead to say, "We near the planet Toran. The soldiers are talking." He presses his palm to the flat stomach, feeling each steady breath. "They say we land in just a few days."

"Need to get off the ship for a while," Riddick rumbles. He seems more focused on tracing the painted marks on Vaako's side. "Plus, I have some friends to see," he adds, though there's something dark in the words, revealing the truth to Vaako.

"Bounty hunters?" Vaako guesses. No answer, as Riddick is drawing figures in the curve of Vaako's lower back. Vaako doesn't try to ask anymore questions.


	5. V

Whereas Helion Prime is filled with cities and Crematoria is a barren wasteland, Toran is vibrant planet, made up mostly of rainforest. The Basilica floats over the planet; a few passersby stop at the windows and look down at the dark green that greets them. Soldiers gather in the main hall and wait for their Lord Marshall.

Instead of their Lord Marshall, a Councilor steps up and glares at them all. "Why do you loiter here, men?" She does not look as if she really wants an answer.

One stupid soul steps forward. "We are at a planet, Councilor. Why do we not attack?"

Commander Shay snorts. "Have you not seen the planet? Have you not heard of the planet Toran? It is uninhabited; there is nothing to attack but vegetation." She is wrong with the statement of the planet being uninhabited and the only reason she knows that is because she had been there when the First among Commanders had stepped up to the Lord Marshall when she and him had been talking and said, "I'm going down to the planet with you." There had been a stare-off, with the First finally looking away and saying, "It would be wrong to let the Lord Marshall go down to a planet himself," and the Lord Marshall had allowed it.

The same stupid soul questions, "And why do we stop at a planet we cannot conquer in the name of the Underverse?"

Commander Shay sneers at the soldier. "It is not up to you to question our Lord Marshall, now is it? However, if you do wish to do so…," and she trails off because the soldier melts back into the group, blending in with all the other soldiers. "Fine," she says. "Now, off with you!" The soldiers slowly slink out of the chamber and Commander Shay wishes she can smack the Lord Marshall for making her the babysitter.

* * *

Vaako steps around another tree and fights the urge to glance around for the mirrorshine of Riddick's eyes. Instead of looking, he slides over a root and brushes long, rain-beaded leaves from his path.

There's a chuckle next to him, and then a hand is snaking up his shirt.

Vaako smirks. "This is the only reason you told me to leave my armor for isn't it?"

There's the press of a mouth on his neck and all contact is gone as Riddick vanishes once more. Then there's the rustle of leaves and the creak of a tree and then nothing.

Vaako continues walking and does not jump when Riddick drops from somewhere and lands in a crouch in front of him. "The armor's too heavy," Riddick corrects him. "So unless you wanted to sink…"

"I would not have," Vaako says. When Riddick just looks at him, Vaako glances away and asks, "How do you expect to find these friends of yours?"

Now Riddick's smirking and it sends heat through Vaako. "You know how friends are. You don't find them; they find you."

If the universe were at all predictable, this would have been the time the bounty hunters crashed through the underbrush and attacked. Instead, the forest is peaceful, the only sounds dripping rain and the occasional caw from a bird.

Vaako continues walking while Riddick climbs up a tree and vanishes into the canopy. A bug with iridescent wings flies past him and he watches it. Sam would have loved this place, he realizes. Yes, it's not an archaeological dig of any sort, but it's so filled with animals and plants that she would have adored this planet. Without Purification, the thought makes his breath come shorter and his eyes sting with unshed tears.

He is so caught in his world where Sam is still alive that he is _just_ able to doge the knife that whizzes past him. Now, the world is cruel because a mass of fucking bounty hunters swarm from out of nowhere and attack.

It's all kick—punch—dodge—roll—when two men catch his arms and trap his legs between them. One man with a dark band across his forehead steps forward and clucks his tongue. "And now who do we have here?"

"None of your damn business," Vaako spits and that gets him a backhanded crack across the cheek.

The man—obviously the leader—wags a finger in Vaako's face. Vaako briefly considers biting said finger but realizes he doesn't have a medical kit on him because he's not the CMO anymore; any diseases he gets from biting _that_ simply isn't worth it.

"So, Mr. Smart-ass, where's your ship?" the leader asks.

"Hell if I know," Vaako grunts and tests his weight against the brutes holding him. "Crashed somewhere. I'm trying to find someplace where I can get off this damn planet." The men around him laugh as he shifts so he has more room.

"There's no way off this planet, little man," the leader says between guffaws. Vaako's frown darkens even more at his words. "Little man"? He didn't take that from his men, from his wife, from James T. fucking Kirk, from his Lord Marshall….there is no way he'd take that shit from this idiot. "You're stuck here." Then the man eyes him, up and down, and leers. "Which is actually a good thing. We can sell you somewhere nice, eh?"

The leader steps closer and makes a kissy face at him. Vaako spits in his face and gets another quick backhand. Stepping away, the leader rubs the spit off and glares. "We'll have to break you of that habit, little one." His sudden grin is bright. "That'll be fun. Won't it men?" And the men cheer.

It's time. Vaako moves, stepping into one man's heel and throwing his weight into the other man's side; their hold on him breaks. He's not completely stupid, so he doesn't even try to fight them; he runs as fast as he can. The forest is filled with noise as the chase commences. He gets quite a distance before a bullet catches him in the thigh, he almost stumbles, and about three men tackle him to the ground.

Then the butt of a gun crashes against the back of his head and the world blurs. Just before the world goes completely black, he catches the sight of mirrored silver and he knows that he's going to kill Riddick when this whole thing is over.


	6. VI

Vaako feels a light slap at his cheek and flinches back from it. Slowly, he opens his eyes and takes in the copse surrounding him. It's all thin trees with long, slender leaves. The pale green leaves filter the light, dim it so it's not exceptionally bright where the group of men and Vaako are.

"Wake up, little man," whispers that man, the leader of this little group, who's crouched in front of him. "Ah, see, ain't it better to be awake around us? Especially when you're without all your weapons?" Vaako sneers and one rough hand comes up to squeeze his face. "Ah, ah, no more spitting now, how 'bout that, hmm? We can be nice for a little bit."

Eyeing the man, Vaako stills. The man laughs and leans back. "Now, little man, are you going to tell us where you left your ship?"

Vaako shifts and tests the bonds wrapped around his hands and ankles. Unfortunately, they are wrapped quite tightly, rough rope chafing his skin. "I already told you," he answers, stifling the flare of annoyance at "little man". "It crashed somewhere in the forest. I don't know where it is. It probably sank or exploded or something."

The leader nods, draws his knuckles over the scruffy stubble on his face. "Now, are you going to tell us why you magically healed?"

Fuck. Lie, lie, lie. "What do you mean?" He swallows down the bile that's suddenly crawling up his throat.

"Ah," the leader says. "Well, you look human. And one of my men shot you in the thigh. There's even a hole and blood on your pants. And yet, when we looked at it, the wound was completely healed." He takes a dagger out and twists it so the light glints along it. "So how did you heal?"

Fuck damn shit. "I don't know," he lies, accent slipping and slurring.

The leader nods and then nonchalantly swings the dagger. Fire slices across Vaako's cheek and the warmth of blood dribbles downwards. The blood sticks to his cheek as the feeling of the slice vanishes to nothing. The leader's eyeing him like Vaako's some sort of gift.

"Well, now, that's very interesting," he says. Then he looks over one shoulder and says, "Up the price on him, and say he's got special healing abilities." One man breaks away from the group and disappears into the shadows.

"The price?" Vaako snarls. He's got an idea where this is going and fuck this, he's not going to be _sold_; after all his years roaming the universe—Underverse—what-the-fuck-ever-verse and _now_ he's going to be a slave?

(If he ever were a slave, it would have been while he was a CMO under James Kirk on the _Enterprise_. Jim would have somehow pulled him into that kind of shit, just because he was James T. Kirk, that bastard. Jim would have flirted with some alien woman, the hobgoblin would have glared, they would have all been fucked, and somehow, someway, he would have been a slave to some alien or other. Then Jim would have done something both crazy and wonderful and they all would have somehow been saved/rescued.)

Smiling, the leader slips the dagger away and nods. "Yeah. Well, you're not useful to us and we can't just let you go. And you're a pretty enough thing. Plus, we can use the money." One rough finger slides under his chin and tilts his face towards the man's. "Unless you want to be our whore. Either way." Then the leader claps a hand over Vaako's mouth. "No spitting. You need to learn how to be obedient. Just nod if you want to be our whore." And the man leers and guffaws. The fingers dig threateningly into his skin.

Vaako relaxes and then quite calmly bites the man's palm. The leader draws back with a shouted curse and shakes his hand as Vaako gags and spits. Who knows what diseases he might have picked up by doing that? Yuck.

With curses muttered low under his breath, the leader comes back to him and backhands him. Vaako merely laughs; he's received worse before and the slap is so worth it. "Tie him to a tree," the leader barks to someone and then stalks away angrily.

A broad man approaches him and grabs the back of his collar. Vaako gets dragged across tree roots and damp ground; then he gets slammed into a tree, vision blurring, and the broad man is wrapping thick rope around him to keep him to the tree. Grinning lasciviously, the broad man leans close and whispers, "How 'bout you and me, pretty man?"

"Fuck off," Vaako enunciates clearly. The man tilts his head to one side and continues to regard Vaako silently. He leans closer and Vaako bares his teeth in a snarl, pressing as close as he can to the tree to get away from the man. "Go away," Vaako says quietly, furious. His accent is sliding from the crisp clarity of a Necromonger to the rage-filled, slide of a Georgian. "I will not fuck you. You will not lay your hands on me."

The man leans back and nods once. "Whatever you say, little man. You're completely fucked anyway." The lascivious grin is back as the man stands and walks away, whistling some cheery tune.

The men of the group move around him as they set up camp. Some kick him as they pass, though the kicks aren't all that hard and aren't all that painful; he ignores them. Other men look at him, leering; he glares at these assholes and attempt to trip them when they walk by. A few times, this causes the man to come closer and smack him. The men set up their own sleeping areas and talk together in small groups. Some men stay close to him and keep an eye on him, his guards.

Vaako tries to stay still as he shifts his arms carefully behind him. He digs his fingers into the tree he's tied to until he's pulling at a piece of bark. The tree is old, the bark stiff and rough. Splinters sink into his skin and under his nails; they then get pushed back out as he heals. The blood from the splinters wet his hands and makes everything slippery. He pulls until the bark is sticking out and then he's carefully rubbing the rope against it, feeling it as it starts to finally fray.

* * *

Out in the woods, the trees creak and sway. Birds caw and chirp in time with dripping rainwater. There's a flash of black that startles the animals and moves the vegetation. Then the black is gone and all is still again.


	7. VII

Vaako traces the fraying rope with fingers slippery from blood. There are a few fires burning still, most of the men asleep around them. His guards have changed twice through the night. (The first group had merely talked quietly amongst themselves, the second had made lewd gestures and remarks at him until his silence made them go quiet, and this third group simply seems to be trying to stay upright.) He grabs onto the sliver of bark and continues rubbing it against the rope.

As the sky starts to lighten, he feels the rope finally give way, loosening enough about his wrists, so that his hands easily slide through the circle. However, there's still rope wrapped about his torso, strapping him to the tree. The rope is thick, but it's not as tight as the one that had been around his wrists. Since his hands are free, there may just be enough room for him to slide out. Yet, there are guards and he doesn't have a weapon.

He's just about to slip out of the ropes anyway, do whatever he can about fighting the men by himself when there's the slightest rustle of leaves above him. On a planet covered in trees that are inhabited by a number of various animals, the noise is nothing new; used to such things, the men don't even register the sound.

As a Marine, as part of Starfleet, as a Necromonger, Vaako has always trusted his instincts. His head stays down although his eyes are trained on the canopy. Even so, he almost misses the flash of mirrored silver that has absolutely no place in the green of the forest. Vaako waits a beat, two, and then moves, pressing himself against the tree to get out of the ropes.

Just as his guards are turning to shoot him, a blur of black descends from the tree like an avenging angel and knocks them flat. Vaako runs for the fires and dodges the first punch that gets thrown at him. There's another punch, a kick at his knee that he barely misses, and then someone jumps on his back. That person gets thrown into the group and a few fall. The rest just get up and continue fighting.

Too soon are the men descending on him and tossing him about as if he's nothing. It's one against Too Many and he has no chance. A thick arm wraps around his torso and pins him to the connected body. For a fleeting moment, he thinks it's a safe haven, but then there's a sharp, cool prick against his throat.

This body says in the leader's voice, "Stop! I've got your man here and I won't hesitate in slicing his pretty little neck." The chill grows as the blade is pressed lengthwise against his skin.

The sounds of fighting stop and then, "What makes you think he's my man?"

The leader chuckles and Vaako feels the sting of the blade sink in, warmth quickly covering the blade. "It's obvious, no? He's your man and you're here for him."

"Kill him if you want," Riddick says and the words turn Vaako's stomach. "He's not my man. I'm only here 'cause you're a bunch of bastards."

Another deep guffaw from the leader and then there's a warm, wet mouth next to his ear, hot breath washing over his skin. "I get me a pet then," the leader whispers and the flat of his tongue hits the shell of Vaako's ear. His skin crawls. "Your special powers are handy," he murmurs and then a sting dances its way across Vaako's throat. Warmth floods his skin as black dots dance across his vision. And then the dots completely overtake him.

When he opens his eyes, his throat kindly (and strangely) announces its presence to him through a deep, dull ache. For a moment, he wonders if he is dreaming because he can't see the ceiling, only darkness. Then he shifts a bit and the warm halo of candles enters his vision. The only place that has candles…

He turns some more, searching, but a hand settles on his shoulder and makes him still. "Don't move," Riddick says, his voice a low rumble.

Vaako wants to ask "Why?" but all that comes out is a raspy, little wheeze. The hand moves from his shoulder to his back, helps him sit up some. Something cool is placed at his mouth and then water is sliding into his mouth and down his throat, soothing all the sting. When the cup is taken away, Vaako clears his throat without issues and asks, "Why not?"

Riddick's hand is still a warm beacon pressed against his back. The fingers are moving softly, smoothing over his bare skin gently. More fingers trail over his neck, but the touch is strangely muted, distant. Vaako brings his own hand own and follows Riddick's fingers, tracing over—gauze?

"What happened?" Vaako asks, voice stern.

"The leader cut your throat," Riddick says without any emotion. Something shifts out of Vaako's line of sight and then Riddick's leaning over him, big and broad and beautiful. The goggles are still missing, the silver a reassuring sight, but there's something about the set of Riddick's mouth, the tightness of his jaw.

"I'm alive," Vaako says unnecessarily and draws his fingers over Riddick's cheek. "What happened to them?"

Riddick remains silent and that is his answer. He, however, remains still as stone and there is something about his expression that Vaako does not like at all. Vaako draws his fingers down, curls them around the back of Riddick's neck, and pulls the man down. Riddick lets out an exhale through his nose and leans close, mouth pressed to Vaako's temple for one, warm moment.

"The rest of your lot thinks I'm crazy," he says against Vaako's skin, almost randomly.

Smiling a little, Vaako replies, "We all know you're insane."

"They saw me carry your corpse into my chambers."

Vaako rolls his eyes, shifts away from Riddick, and pushes himself up. There's no vertigo, no pain, no adrenaline. He feels fine, so he reaches up and pulls the bandages from around his throat, rubbing his fingers against what should have been a slit throat.

Riddick's just watching him, almost creepily so, but Vaako feels uninjured skin beneath his fingers and he leans forward to kiss Riddick, almost chastely. "I'm fine. I've told you about Chromosome 24," he reminds Riddick.

Riddick is still for another long moment, silvered eyes resolutely on Vaako's neck. Then he moves his hand to the stand next to the bed and grabs something. He leans back over with the something, reaches around Vaako, and ties something around his neck. The something settles there, warm and heavy against Vaako's bare chest.

Vaako looks down at it and his breath stops for a moment. All the Necromongers—and now most of the galaxy, due to propaganda—know what the pendent is. The simple pendent is not the exact same one, but identical, to the pendent Lord Marshall Covu's beloved wife had once worn. A symbol of possession, of trust, of desire and love—of wife and husband, consort and Lord Marshall.

Vaako traces over the smooth metal with one unsteady finger. "Nobody's calling me 'wife'," he establishes quickly and catches the slight, humored quirk to Riddick's mouth.

"I kind of like it," Riddick says and ignores Vaako's glare to join him on the bed.


	8. VIII

Vaako hides the pendent beneath his shirt, but the next day people are still staring. It's mostly wide eyes that get directed at him, nothing more, though a few of the ladies hide behind their hands and whisper quietly to each other. He doesn't say anything, simply frowns and rolls his eyes because the rest of the Necromongers have apparently lost all their common sense.

He enters the main chambers and all eyes move to him. There's a woman Commander standing by the empty throne and she steps down, merging easily into the group. Tension is high as he steps further into the room. He sees the once-nobles on the fringes of the group and wonders what, exactly, the hell they are doing there. They haven't been in these conferences with the Lord Marshall since he abolished it; they have no place there.

He sees Leelia. She's standing next to a General and they're both watching him with calculating eyes. They follow him as he stands just outside the group, eyes focused on the doors.

The doors slam open as Riddick stalks in, looking not at all pleased. They are gone from the planet Toran, but he had tried to keep Vaako in his rooms that morning. Vaako had melted a little on the inside, not used to the caring, but a bigger part of him had wanted to punch Riddick. He has Chromosome 24 and he's just fine, but he understands equality in a relationship and had compromised.

Riddick throws himself into the throne and the dagger comes out, spinning dangerously in his hand. "Talk," he says and the people dither, one Councilor finally stepping forward and droning on and on about something.

The tension is still there and Riddick notices it if the set of his shoulders is anything to go by. Yet, he allows for Councilor after Councilor to go on and on as if their words actually mean something.

The last Councilor steps down and the room is horrifically still, everyone holding their breaths. Then Leelia slides forward and clearly says, "Is there not something you need to announce, Lord Marshall?"

The dagger stops, point aimed dead-on at her. "Make your point." His voice leaves no room for discussion.

Leelia glides her way through the soldiers until she's in the middle of the room. "You must announce your new consort, my Lord."

The blade tips, flips, and then is pointed back at her. "And why would I do something like that?"

Leelia's smile is as thin as Riddick's dagger. "So others can challenge you for him." She flutters her lashes, one side of her smile tipping up into smirk.

Riddick stands and walks slowly away from the throne. "Any takers?" he asks.

Leelia's mouth is in something that's not quite a sneer. "And who is your consort, my Lord?" She tilts her head to the side, the jewels and sticks in her hair glinting from the new angle.

Giving her a lazily mocking look, Riddick says, "And who in here hasn't already guessed who's in my bed?"

Eyes narrowed, mouth pursed in a frown, Leelia does not look happy. Then she whips around, a stiletto appearing from out nowhere to her hand. "Then I challenge the First among Commanders, Cylus Vaako, for the position of the Lord Marshall's consort." She spots Vaako and smiles sardonically. "Come here, husband dear," she sneers.

Every part of Riddick tenses. His silvered eyes flicker over to the lady Commander that had been by the throne earlier. She dips her head in a slight nod and Riddick steps back. At this the rest of the soldiers move back, forming a circle in the chambers.

Vaako slides his sword from the hilt on his waist and steps forward. He has to remind himself that he was challenged by an actual soldier and then he had only a dagger. Now he has a sword and Leelia's strength is in words, not fighting.

She lunges forward, teeth bared in a snarl. The stiletto is aimed at his throat, but it's easy enough to hold up his sword and block the point. The stiletto skitters off the edge and a slight push has it flying out of her hands and into the crowd. He makes no moves towards her, simply waiting. She pulls one of the shining sticks from her hair and it's another damn stiletto.

The damn thing curves around and catches him on the cheek, but he leans back and kicks her elbow. Her bones make a disgusting popping noise as the second stiletto goes flying. He sweeps her feet from under her, but she's up in seconds and on top of him, nails flying everywhere. With a shove of his weight, he throws her and she ends up on the ground in an inelegant sprawl. The last stiletto gets pulled from her hair and gets thrown. It whizzes past him by centimeters and imbeds itself into the wall.

The only weapon she has now is her nails and he does not want those digging into his flesh again, damn it all. He strides over to her and bends down, the edge of his sword against her neck. It would be so easy…

A tilt of the blade and bead of blood draws along the edge. "Yield," he orders softly.

"Never," she hisses and smacks him once, claws raking across his cheek.

He backhands her once, a warning, because he really does not want to kill her. Her skin gives way easily, her face snapping to the side. "Damn you, bitch! Yield," he barks because he is now sick of this shit.

She spits blood onto the tiles and sneers at him, red crawling the spaces of her teeth. "No," she says, loud enough that the single syllable echoes in the high chambers.

Fuck this. Vaako stands and looks down at her. "You are not worth the kill," he snaps and a hushed murmur goes through the crowd. Then he slides his blade back into the holster and waits.

Leelia recognizes the words for what they are and struggles to her feet. The lady Commander from earlier steps forward and says clearly, "It is a valid ending to a challenge, my Lord."

Riddick nods once and says, "Get this bitch out of here."

"The infirmary," the lady Commander adds. Soldiers step from the circle and pick Leelia up by her elbows. She glares darkly at him as she gets dragged from the chamber, but there is a spark in her eyes that Vaako recognizes. She is plotting something and he is on the outs this time.

Riddick moves from the side of the throne and soldiers spill out of the chambers. They know when what is and what is not a dismissal. As they leave Riddick approaches Vaako. The big hand comes up and cups Vaako's cheek, one thumb displacing the already dried blood from Leelia's stiletto and nails. The other hand curls along Vaako's neck and pulls the pendent from beneath his shirt. "Keep this out," Riddick quietly says.

Vaako smiles, presses a quick kiss to the palm against his skin, and steps back, joining the flow of soldiers. As Riddick moves to talk to the woman Commander, Vaako moves out of the chamber.

His skin prickles. He turns and meets the dark eyes of the General Leelia had been speaking to. A soldier moves into his line of sight, the shine of armor all Vaako can see for a split second. When the soldier is gone, the General has vanished.


	9. IX

So over 100 hits and no reviews? D:

* * *

Riddick looks down at Commander Shay. "What the fuck was that about?" His voice is rough, anger showing through the ragged edges.

Commander Shay purses her lips and keeps her eyes on the backs of the soldiers that flow out of the chambers. "The nobles had some questions concerning the state of the First among Commanders. Many had seen the state he was in after Toran." Her posture is ramrod straight, never fearing the silvered eyes or barely repressed scowl of her Lord Marshall.

He leans closer, voice now low, furious. "And how did they know about him being my consort?"

Now, she glances sidelong at him. "As you said, my Lord, there was not one who had not already guessed who was in your bed." The eyes flicker away from him as the doors of the chamber slams shut behind the flow of soldiers and nobles. "Anyone who may have questioned were quickly disabused of their notion once all saw you carry the First into your own chambers after Toran."

For a moment, Riddick just stares at her, weighing her words. Then he sits down into the dark throne, one hand coming up to cover his face. "Why send that bitch into the infirmary?"

"Although the nobles no longer have any power, there is a great many of them. Cause her death by not sending her to the infirmary after a valid ending of a challenge, and there would be an uprising."

"She wasn't even touched," Riddick grumbles.

"No," Commander Shay agrees. "Still, knowing Dame Krypkus, she would have found some way to exploit it."

He removes his hand and levels a look at her. "You think this will stop her?"

"Perhaps not, but this way we have covered ourselves, my Lord," she says placidly. She throws him another glance and steps away from the throne. "Now, if you'll excuse me my Lord, I must talk with the navigators." She scowls. "Again."

"Just threaten them if they give you shit," he orders.

She quirks an eyebrow at him. "They don't give me trouble, my Lord," she assures him. "They just complain about the lack of the Quasi-dead."

Riddick's mouth twitches into something close to a frown. "Just tell them to stop bitching."

"Of course," she says and then walks out of the chambers.

Riddick eyes the closed doors and then walks to the far wall. He jerks the shining stiletto the bitch had thrown from the wall and it spins deftly through his fingers. Flimsy due to its disguise as a hairpin, but sharp, it is not a proper weapon. Riddick snaps the delicate weapon into two and lets the shining shards fall to the floor. Then he walks out of the chambers.

* * *

Vaako ignores the press of soldiers and moves along the dark halls. Without conquest plans to go over with other soldiers, his day is empty. Part of him wants to hunt down Leelia in the infirmary and interrogate her until she spills all her plans. However, Leelia is a master of words and he knows the trip will be futile; she'll only slip and slide and plant doubts and lies.

Instead he just heads back towards Riddick's rooms. Some of the Councilors had suggested plans, some of conquest, some not, and he wants to look over the proposals himself. It will be a productive way to pass time, though boring.

As he walks the amount of people around him decrease and decrease until he is the only one in the silent halls. It is almost peaceful, and he is lulled into a sense of serenity…until he actually gets to Riddick's rooms.

The unnamed General that had stood by Leelia is leaning against the wall of the hall, by Riddick's door. The General straightens at the sight of him; the corners of his mouth tip up into something like a smile. "Good day, First among Commanders," he says, his voice mellow and smooth.

Vaako narrows his eyes. "What are you doing here, General? These are the Lord Marshall's chambers."

The General seems unfazed by this. "I merely require a talk with you, Commander Vaako."

"There are conference rooms," Vaako calmly says.

There's a flicker of emotion in the General's dark eyes, but it is quickly masked by an easy smile. "I know that, Vaako," the man says familiarly and Vaako frowns. "It is just that this is a private talk I wish to have with you, not a…work conversation."

Vaako resists drawing his sword. It is too soon, he decides, no matter what his instincts are screaming. "What about, General?"

The man now frowns. "Call me Jax. General is so…impersonal." He takes a step closer, frown reverting back to his easy smile.

Oh, Vaako thinks darkly, someone's fucking with me. "I will call you what I wish, General," he says sternly. "Now, what is this talk about?"

The man—Jax— takes another step closer, smile tipping up into a smirk. Vaako quickly realizes that he must have gone stupid when he almost died and that he should have listened to his instincts. General Jax pulls a fucking hypo from somewhere on his person and stabs it downwards. Vaako is too slow; as the damn thing jams into his neck, shockwaves of pain radiating through him, he understands why Jim always bitched about it. He is, however, quick enough to elbow the General in the face and revel in the loud _crack_, the consequent cursing, and the warm rush of blood.

He drops to his knees as General Jax looms over him, one hand pressed to his nose. The man is smirking as black overtakes Vaako's vision.

* * *

Riddick pauses outside his doors. Something feels…wrong. He glances around, seeing nothing. Frowning, he enters his rooms. Hellhounds immediately approach him, circling almost frantically around him. One actually noses at his hand and whines pitifully. The rest go back to the doors, staring at it as if they're trying to figure out a way to escape. Riddick eyes them and idly pets the one nosing at him.

Something is wrong.


	10. X

Vaako opens his eyes and immediately realizes he does not like where he is. There is the smoking shell of a shuttle behind him, the metal burning through his clothes (which means his armor, his weapons, are all gone fuck fuck fuck). He is on sand and that's the only thing he can see: sand, sand, sand. He scours his memory for a desert planet in the Basilica's quadrant and can only come up with one place: Lemat. Not conquered by Necromongers, not governed by any sort of cohesive group, Lemat is a planet of bazaars, gypsies, and ramshackle villages; it is a place of decadence and sin.

So, what the fuck is he doing here?

A shift of his weight, and he realizes another aspect he distinctly does not like: his wrists are bound behind his back. It is not fraying rope that holds his wrists together as those stupid bounty hunters on Toran had done, but cuffs of plasteel that move with him and does not cut into his sink.

Cuffs, desert planet, burned-out shuttle…and then Vaako curses lowly, fluently under his breath as he remembers exactly why he was knocked out. This is General Jax's doing.

Speak of the devil, he thinks, as Jax tromps in front of him, devoid of his armor. The man smiles and bends down, drawing one hand along Vaako's cheek. Jax's smile only gets wider when Vaako jerks his head away and scowls fiercely.

"Oh, Vaako dear, you will grow to understand me. You will love me, just as you should."

Vaako can't hold his tongue. "Love you?" he spits incredulously. "I will never." Where in the hells of all is Jax getting this? He remembers Jax standing by Leelia's side and wonders if she planted all these lies.

Jax does not seem affected by these words. "Oh, you will," he assures Vaako. Calmly, he reaches down and snatches the consort pendent from around Vaako's neck. As he holds it up, it glints in the light of Lemat's two suns. It is beautiful and perfect and Jax throws it desert as if it is nothing.

Then, with another smile, Jax pulls another hypo from somewhere on his person and stabs it into Vaako's neck. He can feel the swirl of sedation as his vision blurs and everything about him seems to loosen. As he tips over into the burning sand, before everything goes black, he sees the glow of the twin suns, as if they are eyes staring down from the sky.

* * *

Riddick scours the ship. With the hellhounds trailing after him and his fierce glare, nobody gets in his way. He scours the ship…and finds nothing. The first thing he does is check into the infirmary; the bitch is lying on a bed, obviously sedated. He eyes her still form, growls out a curse, and then heads straight to the navigation room to hunt down Commander Shay.

The navigators do not flinch when he slams open the doors and stalks into the room. Without the use of the Quasi-dead, they gather in groups around the consoles to calculate and measure; many fried brains are apparently better than one fried brain.

Commander Shay stands soldier-straight in the middle of the room, eyes on the men. When Riddick stops at her side, when the hellhounds circle round and sniff at her boots, she does not move. She merely asks, "Is there an issue, Lord Marshall?"

"Yeah," Riddick says, voice low and angry like. "My First just happens to be missing."

Though her eyes slide slowly over to him, they are sharp, weighing each and every word. "You have checked the ships for you consort, my lord?"

It is these words that have the navigators pausing in their work and glanced over their shoulders. However, when Riddick roughly replies, "Of course I have," the navigators hurry back to their work, fingers and eyes flying as if they have never stopped.

Commander Shay's attention snaps over to the consoles. "Has any shuttles left the ships within the past few hours?" Her voice is clear, cutting across all the quiet bustle of the navigators; they do not need an order to understand she is addressing them.

One navigator taps at a screen, frowns a little, and calmly answers, "Yes, Shuttle 35 left the Basilica about an hour ago."

Commander Shay strides forward and looks over the man's shoulder to gaze at the code flying across the screen. "And where was it headed?"

There is a pause as the navigator types something in. The man frowns again, types in something else, and his expression smoothes over. "There is nothing logged for Shuttle 35, but the fuel trails indicate that it landed on Lemat."

"Any communication?"

"No, Commander."

Commander Shay's placid expression falters, but her mask rearranges itself, the darkening of her eyes the only sign of her shifting thoughts. "Can you contact the shuttle?" she asks.

The sound of the navigator's typing is quiet. When the screen beeps at him, he goes pale. "The, uh, the shuttle apparently destructed, Commander."

Commander Shay pulls back from the man and directs her eyes to Riddick. Her voice is soft. "Now what, Lord Marshall?"

There is no question what he has to do. "I'll be heading down to Lemat myself then."

* * *

Again, Vaako wakes. His shirt is gone, the suns beating down on his skin, the black of the painted symbols on his side standing out; his boots are also gone, his feet ghostly pale in the light. The plasteel cuffs, however, are still there.

He glances around. He is sitting on the beaten sand of a road in the middle of a bazaar. The stalls are elaborate, decorated with various commodities, commanded by shouting vendors. People mill around him as if he is nothing.

Pressed against the boards of the stall, he shifts and hears the noise of chained links. He shifts again and feels pressure on his neck. A glance down reveals the leash wrapped around his neck, the other end of it wrapped in General Jax's hand.

General Jax glances down at him, smiles, and pats him on the head as if he is a pet.


	11. XI

Thanks for the alerts and favs! And thanks **Myst Shadow** for the review!

* * *

Riddick paces, the hellhounds' eyes following his movements. Commander Shay's placid mask somehow does not crack. Instead of cursing, she simply says, "My lord, the shuttle must be readied before we go down to Lemat." She looks to the center of the small room, where a lady is slumped over in a chair, her hands chained to the bars. "Plus, Krypkus is here," Commander Shay tacks on.

The young nurse/convert doesn't flinch at the sight of the once noble woman. She simply slides the needle into the bared wrist and calmly presses down on the plunger. The convert stands and then blankly glides out of the room.

Silver eyes gleaming in the dim light, Riddick watches the bitch as she wakes. At first she simply twitches and then her eyes open and she sits up. When she spots Commander Shay and the Lord Marshall, she straightens, lifting her chin the slightest bit. "My lord," she says, eyes never leaving him.

Riddick stalks forward carefully, a few of the hellhounds breaking off of the pack to follow him. Their spikes flare out and darken as they circle her. "Bitch," he says. "What did you do to Vaako?"

She turns her head away from him, the smallest of scornful smirks on her face. "I did absolutely nothing, my lord. I daresay you have me here on false charges." Without moving her head, her gaze comes back to him. "Besides, what would I want with my idiot husband?"

Neither Riddick nor Leelia flinch when the door of the room slides open. Only Commander Shay moves, leaning in to listen to the whispers of the soldier on the other side. When the message is conveyed, the door is shut once more and she steps further into the room.

"My lord," she says. Although mirrored eyes glance over to her, Leelia does not move. "A General Jax is also missing. He was an acquaintance of Krypkus's."

"General Jax?" Riddick repeats. He's never heard of the name, but apparently Leelia has because she laughs.

"There is your issue, my lord. General Jax has had his eye on Vaako for a while." Her voice is blithe, as if none of this is affecting her. "After seeing today's challenge, he may have taken it into his head to do something about it."

Before Riddick can do or say anything, Commander Shay cuts in. "You were seen with General Jax this morning," she informs them both.

"Really?" Riddick drawls and watches as Leelia smoothes a coat of composure over her cracking mask. "I wonder what you two were plotting."

Leelia smiles, but it is all off. "Plotting, my lord? I would do no such thing."

Riddick tromps forward and slams a dagger into the arm of the chair, only centimeters away from her hand. "Yeah right, bitch," he snarls. "You've been sniffing around me since I got on this ship. And when your husband got into my bed instead of you…"

She lifts her chin imperially to glare him straight in the eye. "You have shown your inclinations, my lord. It is no longer my issue."

Riddick leans even closer until he can smell the sweet, feminine scent of her. "You've shown it is your 'issue' since you challenged my consort this morning." He laughs and it is a cruel sound. "You would do anything to warm my bed."

"But plot against the consort?" she asks shrilly. Her eyes keep darting towards the hellhounds. They are growling at her and keep snapping at her feet.

Riddick's voice is a muted roar. "You were the one that plotted the death of the last Lord Marshall! Why wouldn't you stoop to something as simple as kidnapping?"

It must be the drugs (or the fact that this would never happen to a noble under the other Lord Marshalls) that are affecting her system because her placid mask cracks when a hellhound snaps at her ankle. She kicks out and catches the hound on the nose. It rears back for only a second and the few around her start snarling.

"Call your beasts off," she orders in a low undertone.

The memory of Vaako asking the same makes Riddick pull the dagger out of the chair and contemplate simply slicing her throat. "What did you do?" he asks, his voice low and angry.

As the hellhounds continue to circle her, Leelia is completely still with the exception of her mouth. "General Jax wanted Vaako; I was supposed to be your consort. If the challenge wouldn't work, then Jax would take him." Leelia's eyes move up to Riddick; there is nothing like begging or pleading in her expression, but there is also none of the familiar cool composure. "Now call your beasts off."

The door opens again and they all look over. Commander Shay listens to the message, shuts the door, and calmly says, "The shuttle is ready, my lord."

Riddick looks over to Leelia and pauses. Then he turns. "The hellhounds will watch her," he says to Commander Shay and stalks out. The three hellhounds that had been circling her stay put, but the rest follow him.

He hears the shrill, "This is uncalled for!" and promptly ignores it as Commander Shay leaves the room with him.

"You do know that's a death sentence, my lord," she says, walking in time with him.

"Of course I know that," he answers roughly and there is no regret for that.

Commander Shay dips her head in a nod and then says, "I will be going with you to Lemat."

He stops and glares at her. "Who said you could do that?"

She, however, does not stop and he has to start walking again to catch up. "Take what help you can get, my lord," she says softly. "Commander Vaako is a good man. Anyone would hate to see him hurt."

He lets it go and follows her to the shuttle, the hellhounds a shadow behind them.

* * *

Jax gathers his treasures in his arms and starts walking to the small alley next to the stall. Reluctantly, pulled by the leash, Vaako follows. When they stop in the alley, Jax starts sorting through his purchases. He murmurs things to himself as Vaako continues to stare at the leash, trying to figure a way out of it.

He barely sees the flash of brown before it hits Jax. Vaako gets tugged forward as Jax goes down; he tries to pull free, but the leash is still held tight. And then a loud _crack_ echoes through the alley and Jax falls, head twisted to an unnatural angle.

Vaako gets just a moment to pull the leash free and turn to run, but then he gets tapped, lightly, three times on the back and everything seizes up. Unable to move, he falls as he curses the 'verse in his head.

A flat face looks down at him, big brown eyes avidly looking over him. Despite the sandy brown hair curling around its face, the creature looks a lot like an Earth monkey. The four-fingered hand that paws at his hair and the furry tails that whips him in the face only confirms the fact that this creature is not quite human.

"Oooh," it coos to him in a light, feminine voice. "Master did say you were a pretty pet." It—she—grins down at him with flat, white teeth. "The Lady will like you."


	12. XII

Vaako gets placed against the lukewarm wall and the monkey-girl-thing sticks its face in his. Some part of his mind has gone pre-Necromonger, back to Star Fleet, and is cataloguing each and every thing about this creature, trying to place it as some species or genus, but his thoughts keep sliding away from that to figure out what the fuck is going on, here.

The monkey-girl smiles. "The Master will like you," she coos again and draws her fingers through his hair. As if her words are a sign, he hears the sound of footsteps. He tries to struggle, to fight, to do goddamn do anything, but his body is still locked in place and there is nothing he can do.

A man rounds the corner and smiles at the monkey-girl. His skin is tanned, his hair dark and curled tight. Loose robes hide his body, but reveal the sword strapped to his waist. The monkey-girl bounces over to him and chitters happily, rubbing her face against his side. The man grins, a bright thing, surprising for a damn kidnapper, and rubs behind her rounded ear. "You did get the pretty one, didn't you, Chula?"

The monkey-girl—Chula—nods happily and smiles back at him. But then the man actually catches sight of Vaako and he clicks his tongue. "I was right," he says softly, eyes tracing each part of Vaako. Although Vaako can't move, he wants to punch the guy out or even squirm or something because this is not appreciated at all.

He walks over, kneels down, and skims his fingers over the painted symbols along Vaako's side. The fingers tickle in the hollow of his ribs and he wants to move away from them. "I'm sorry, pretty," this man murmurs to him and how Vaako wants to hit him for calling him that. It's almost as bad as "little one". "If the Lady didn't rule, well," he dips his fingers along the curve of Vaako's stomach and Vaako feels bile climb his throat. "I'd keep you for myself."

Locked as he is, Vaako can't even say anything to that, although he already has some nasty comments built up. Chula the monkey-girl shrieks out a laugh. "The pretty one would not want to, Master." She bounds over to him and draws one bone-thin finger along his cheek. "There's a fire in his eyes, Master."

Suddenly, the man stands and brushes down his dark robes. "The Lady likes training them. Putting out the fire," he says slowly, eyes on Vaako. There may be something like regret hiding in the shadows of his eyes…or Vaako may just be imagining it.

"The fire burns," monkey-girl Chula whimpers and bounds over to hide against the man's robes.

Slender fingers draw comfortingly through the curly hair. "For them, yes," he replies. Then a grin is on his face, although it looks all wrong and painted on. "But Lady has been asking for a male servant for a while, now. She'll like him."

"She likes the pretty ones," Chula whispers up at him.

"Mmm," the man agrees half-heartedly. He's eyeing Vaako likes he wants to take a bite and Vaako does not like it one bit. Then his eyes crinkle with the widening of his grin and all the desire gets snuffed out of his eyes. "Well, since I don't have to train you and you look clean enough as is, we better get you to the Lady right now."

Chula leaves her master's side to sling him over her shoulder as if he is a sack of potatoes.

* * *

Riddick and Commander Shay land on Lemat near a burned-out shell of a Necromonger shuttle. Commander Shay eyes it while Riddick and his hellhound shadows stalk through the ruins. It's not as if the shuttle actually crashed, the destroyed, smoking parts tell him; it's that someone went through it and completely, intentionally, wrecked the damn thing. He sees the familiar sheen of Necromonger armor and he knows it like he knows his weapons. It's Vaako's armor and he's going to kill someone.

Commander Shay clears her throat and hands him a PADD. The screen shows him a file of one General Morenga Jax. Riddick only glances at it for a second to gather what he needs. When he hands the tiny computer back to her and strides off into the desert, she easily follows.

"What is your plan, my lord?" she asks. Her words are carried by the whisper of a wind and sand swirls around them.

Riddick only says, "You'll see." The hellhounds trot at his side, slink through the sand, lift their muzzles to the wind. They continue to move.

* * *

Vaako gets tossed to the ground once more, but now the ground is soft and it feels like carpet against his cheek. The man pats Chula once on the shoulder and says, "Stay here. I need to get the Lady to see him." And he trots off, footsteps loud against a series of stairs in the large house they're in.

Vaako slides his gaze along the wall, seeing no windows whatsoever. There were guards—many, many guards that would notice he wasn't someone that had been just let in— that stopped them, checks and rechecks to verify their identities. There may be issues on trying to leave this place. However, as long as he can find an exit that is devoid of many guards…

The room is quiet and Chula patters over to him. It's time.

He jumps up, ignoring his shaky legs and spinning room, and immediately dodges the hit Chula aims at him. She screeches at him and it gives him the split second he needs to be able to hit her hard enough that she drops, out like a light.

He turns to run…and stops when a sharp something lances though his shoulder. Fingers jam into his side, nerves being hit in the exactly right place for his body to seize up once more, and the sharpness slides away in a rush of pain as he drops.

Chula's master stands over him, something like regret on his face. And there's a lady there, dressed in silken robes, black hair pinned up in an elegant knot. Pale green scales climb her cheekbones, shimmering in the light, and Vaako finds himself thinking of dragons. Her eyes flicker green-blue-yellow as she stares stonily down at him.

She holds up one bloody claw and draws her tongue along the red. "What have we here, Master Domack?"


	13. XIII

The man—Domack—dips his head in a submissive bow. "I apologize, Lady Twii. You said you wanted a servant you could train yourself."

Eyes narrowed in a dragon-glare, the Lady Twii stares at Domack. "He is belligerent," she retorts coolly.

Domack presses his lips together until they are a pale line against his tan skin. "He is untrained, my Lady." He turns from her to crouch down by Chula and push errant curls away from her face. He pauses, narrows his eyes at his servant-monkey. "Untrained, at least, in the art of being a slave. Though he looks to be trained in the arts of fighting."

On the floor, feeling the blood drying to his skin, Vaako wants to run.

Lady Twii folds her hands together. "We have no need for a fighter," she says, her voice laced with acidic poison. But then she looks over to Vaako—he can feel her eyes on him like the slide of an ice cube along his spine—and her eyes start to sparkle gold.

She deigns to bend down and prod at him. "There is no mark," she remarks quietly, wonderingly. The claws scratch lightly over his skin and Vaako feels the shiver inside. There is the scratch-scratch-scratch of claws picking at the dried blood and the feel of scaly skin brushing over his skin. "He heals quickly."

"He is human," Domack interjects. "But there are some experiments on other planets with their soldiers…"

The scaly fingers draw along his side, press against a bunch of nerves and muscles, and feeling is back, flooding his body with motion. However, one scaly hand is wrapped around his neck, the claws tap-tap-tapping against his jugular.

"Where are you from, soldier?" she asks lightly.

He doesn't waste time for an answer. Vaako jerks back, feels the nick of claws against skin, and tries to roll out of her reach. Instead she slices those horrid claws along his back and the other set of claws dig into his skin, reaching deep for nerves.

The paralysis from that nerve-bunch kicks in before she can find it and dig it out of his body. As he feels the flesh start to knit together again, she stands gracefully and glares down at him, clicking her claws, blood flecking off them to land on the plush carpet. "This is the thing you bring me, Domack?" She does not sound happy at all.

Vaako wants to spit at her.

Domack spreads his hands peacefully. "He is pretty. And you wanted someone beautiful to train…"

The scales along Lady Twii's cheekbones darken as she frowns, but she decides, "He will do." Her eyes, flashing deep blue now, slide over to Domack. "Especially since you reneged on the other pet you had lined up for me."

Domack emphatically does not frown at this. "My contacts on Toran completely vanished, my Lady. Had there been anything I could do about it, I would have; however, there was nothing I could do about it." But then he glances over to Vaako. "However, this one seems to have similar qualities."

Vaako wants to curse, maybe even laugh. It seems as if the 'verse has it out for him. Did the 'verse have it out for those ancient Martians who had Chromosome 24 also?

"You know my handlers. Talk to them for payment." Then one clawed hand comes down and jerks his leash. "What is his name?" she asks idly, the loop of the leash twirling in her hands.

"I'm not sure, my lady," Domack replies. His hands are down now, drawing through Chula's curls comfortingly.

Lady Twii's words are a hiss. "He will speak eventually." She drops the leash and waves one bone-thin hand. Two guards come over and easily heft him up as if he is nothing. "Take him to the slave quarters, with the two new ones."

"The younglings, my Lady?" one broad brute asks and Vaako feels his stomach sink.

"Yes."

He catches the sight of Domack picking up Chula and cradling her like a child before he is swept deeper into the house.

* * *

They are striding through the desert, sand rising around their ankles, when one shadow of a hellhound breaks from the pack. It lifts its nose to the wind and then lopes off, a black smear against the harsh orange landscape.

Riddick and Commander Shay stop, watching the runaway. Commander Shay tenses, sways toward the Lord Marshall, and then stops. They wait until the black smear comes back to them, something hanging from its mouth. Its spikes flare out, darken to red, when Riddick stoops down to grab the retrieved treasure.

This treasure, it swings on links of silver, light glinting off of it. The revered pendent of the consort of the Lord Marshall is deep silver-black in the bright suns and Riddick's mouth tightens to a pale line. Tension coils tightly in his shoulders as he rubs a thumb into the dust that coats smooth metal.

"He was past here," Commander Shay says quietly.

Riddick says nothing to that. He gives a heavy pat to the runaway hellhound and then places the pendent around his own neck. It shimmers as he turns from the pack and continues walking.

There's a sudden buzz from the radio strapped to Commander Shay's waist. She brings it up and listens to the mumbles coming to it for a minute. There is no change in her expression as the communication continues. She brings it down for a moment and says, "My Lord?"

Riddick looks over his shoulder at her but keeps walking.

It's the best sign she's going to get. "My Lord," she continues. "Leelia Kypkus is dead." She doesn't need to say that the bitch was ripped apart by the hellhounds; the bitch messed with Vaako and he is pack, just as Riddick is.

"And?" he asks. They both knew this would happen. He might get hell about it from the other former nobles, but she plotted against the consort.

"What should we do with the body?"

"Get rid of it," he says lowly.

She relays the answer over the radio and when done, hooks it back to its strap.

They keep walking and soon the marketplace is in their sights.


	14. XIV

Hitting the ground with his shoulder, Vaako lets out a grunt and lies motionless, still paralyzed. The men that had carried him slam the door of the cell, the sound of their footsteps echoing against the stone. Vaako has a moment to wonder if he's simply going to be stuck like this until some other soldier releases the paralyzing nerve bunch, but then he hears the soft patter of light steps.

Gentle fingers push against those tetchy nerves and feeling slowly floods his limbs. A small child bounds in front of him, thick red hair swinging with her movements. Big green eyes peer down at him and the girl-child sings in a sweet, lilting voice, "Hiiiii, mister."

A boy, older, probably a teen, quickly, but gently, pulls her back, his blue-green eyes wary. "Careful, Kori," he warns. He steps in front of the girl-child, protective-like, as Vaako pushes himself up. "Who are you, sir?" he asks politely.

Vaako stands with a wince. He wants to offer John—used to family—or Leonard—used to children and annoyances of any type—but he offers the truth. "I am Vaako, a soldier." Though one who seems green, at the moment, being caught. Twice. Vaako twitches and refrains from cursing his luck once more. "And you, younglings?"

Hesitantly, the boy offers, "I'm Ben. And this is Kori." The girl-child leans around her guard to wave cheerfully.

Kori seems to be a beam of sunshine—probably not here long then, Vaako figures. The boy, however, is wary and defensive in posture; an abrasion mars one tilted cheekbone and Vaako wonders if the boy has been here long.

Vaako crouches down to look these children in the eye and asks, "How did you two come to be here?" His voice has gone soft, Southern-doctor accent slipping in as if these younglings are his patients.

Kori does not even wait for Ben to move to bound around him and say, "Big men took me from the market." Then her smile abruptly dies and she toes along the stone floor with one bare foot. "Hari won't be happy, sir," she mutters.

The girl really is young and Vaako swallows down bitterness. "Who is Hari?"

Kori's big green eyes go liquid, a few tears slipping down her cheeks. Her lower lip trembles as she speaks. "Hari is my sister."

Vaako wants to ask more, but Ben throws him a warning glare. He lets Kori be, instead focusing on the boy. "And you Ben?"

Ben sighs and it's as if a weight has been placed on his shoulders. "My Master works in the trade routes. We came here to negotiate with some of the group leaders of Lemat." His mouth thins to a line, jaw firming. "Instead, I was captured and my Master…" Ben trails off as he looks away contemplatively. He says nothing more.

Vaako wants to ask about procedure, guards, feeding schedules, but Kori runs up to him and throws her tiny arms around his waist. Her grin is bright once more and he remembers this from Joanna, despite how long ago it was. He hefts her up and settles her on one hip. Giggling, she traces fingers over the inked marks on his shoulder.

He sees the broken pieces in Ben's eyes and Kori's smile seems threaded too tightly. He bounces her and starts to walk, an old easy tune coming to his lips. His accent goes even further south now, rougher, as he remembers Jim singing crazy ass drinking songs with Scotty. Ben sits on the cold floor, the slightest upturn to the corners of his mouth, and Kori's smile goes easy.

* * *

They enter the city in silence. The hellhounds move out around them, muzzles pressed to the sand of the market. The people of the market give them a cursory glance and that is it; the only eyes that linger are those of merchants and they are only eyeing the hellhounds for the creatures' exoticness.

The hellhounds pause and circle at center stalls and Commander Shay follows them to ask the merchants therein about Vaako or Jax. Each time she comes back, her mouth turned down in a frown, she says nothing and the hellhounds continue to circle, circle, circle.

* * *

Ben is asleep in the corner of the cell, Kori curled tight against him; the boy is a pillow and Vaako would smile if it weren't for the shadows under Kori's eyes or the tenseness of Ben's face, even in sleep.

The guards are almost quiet when they open the cell door. Vaako wants to run forward, hit these men, kill them, but one guard has a gun aimed on the children before he can move. Vaako forces himself to be still. There is more at stake here now. The guards—those bastards—even evoke the stupid-paralyzing nerve bunch that reminds him so much of the hobgoblin's pinch thing.

They drag him to a room and string him up, pulled high and swinging gently like a pendulum. With hands secured in chains, they free those nerves and he curses them soundly, using languages and words from all over the 'verse.

These guards, they just laugh. Then they start asking him questions:

"What is your name?"

"Where are you from?"

"Were you a soldier?"

"What do you know?"

"How did Master Domack find you?"

"Who are you?"

And Vaako, he laughs. He laughs because his story is so long and so convoluted that these men would neither understand nor believe him. He laughs because somehow, someway, he is going to get out of here and they will die and rot as they are. He even laughs as one guard brings out a whip and cracks it menacingly in the air. Laughing, laughing, laughing because there is nothing these men can do that will break him; he has lived through fear and pain and death, several times over, and there is nothing these men can even fathom that will come close to what he has seen or done.

The man with the whip strikes, again and again and again, even as Vaako heals, the floor below him staining red.


	15. XV

The hellhounds circle and circle and circle. Commander Shay follows them and her expression gets darker and darker. The hellhounds finally gather at one spot and lift their muzzles to the stand. One hellhound's spikes actually flare out and turn deep red as it growls at the merchant. The merchant there does not shrink back or run; this merchant simply watches them warily and comments to Shay and Riddick, "Beautiful creatures, these. How much do you want for one?"

Riddick actually smirks and it is frightening. "If you can tame one, you can have it." The hellhounds' eyes spark in the light of the two suns and the merchant slowly leans back.

"Never mind, my good friend. They may remain with you." Then the merchant gives a wide, slimy grin. "Is there anything I may help you with?" He lifts a pouch and jiggles it. "Mermaid scales from Avalon Tetra. No?" That gets set down and he lifts a chain and pendent. "Necklace of Helen. Pretty jewels for a pretty lady," and the smile gets aimed at Commander Shay. She does not twitch.

Riddick pulls out his shiv and idly twirls it around his fingers. The merchant takes in the scuffed boots, the curved muscles, the cold smirk. "I'm actually looking for a pet," Riddick says, as if this is nothing. "I just lost mine, so I'm looking for a new one."

The shiv comes up, the merchant watching it as he had the hellhounds, and it scratches gently against Riddick's cheek. "Dark hair, dark eyes. Real pale, maybe. And some ink."

The merchant's eyes flick up to Riddick and stare at the blank goggles. "Is ink along the shoulder and side just fine because I just saw a pet earlier…but he was with another."

Commander Shay makes a move towards her PADD as if she wants to show Morenga Jax's photograph to this man, but Riddick cuts her off by nodding. "And where did this man go?" His smile is sharp, predatory.

The merchant glances quickly around, throat bobbing as he swallows. His hand, faintly trembling, goes up and points in one direction. As he speaks his eyes slide in the opposite direction and focuses in a gap between merchant stalls. "They went that way, good sir." He tries to rally with another smile and another trinket, but Riddick strides off, hellhounds and Commander Shay following.

Commander Shay quickly goes up to him and quietly says, "He pointed the other way."

Riddick slows, the hellhounds leading now, noses pressed to the sand, searching for a scent. "He was looking this way." They continue to walk, the suns shining down on them.

* * *

Vaako gets thrown back into the cell. He can feel the still open wound on his back seep more blood, but he goes still and the tingling feeling of mending skin starts up once again. There's the quiet patter of footsteps and then cool hands skim over the uninjured areas.

"How can I help?" is Ben's first question.

Vaako wants to thank the kid's Master for instilling this mindset, but he slowly sits up and gruffly says, "I'll be fine. I just need to…not move for a while."

Ben backs up quickly, stance tense, expression tight. Rightfully so, Ben is still wary, still hesitant to trust this stranger. "How will you heal?"

"My people," Vaako grunts out, edging towards a wall. His voice goes lower as he nears the still sleeping Kori. "We have fast healing abilities."

The small mouth twitches down in a frown. "And where did you come from?"

The planet is dead, Vaako reminds himself, and says, "A place called Olduvai." Ben's expression tightens in unforgiving, unwanted ignorance. "Don't worry. It's an old, old planet and it's been dead for a long time."

Ben takes a slow step forward and then another. He pauses in indecision. "Will you be okay?" There is genuine concern layered under the hesitation and worry and caution.

Vaako finds a smile somewhere in him. "I'll be just fine. Like I said, I just need some time to heal."

Some of that hesitation slides off Ben's face as he takes a few more steps closer and sits next to Vaako; he brings his knees up and curls his arms around them, pressing his bruised cheek to the makeshift pillow. There is something more than worry, more than caution in the boy's eyes; there is something and it is like fear.

Vaako's stomach curls sourly in on itself at the sight of that on the young face. "Tell me about your Master," falls out of his mouth, rough and slip-sliding Southern, without his permission and he wonders when Dr. Leonard McCoy had control of his brain once again.

"Master Telgin?" Ben says wistfully.

"That was his name?"

"Yes." And then Ben speaks, at first haltingly, and then more and more of this mysterious Master Telgin and the adventures they had before the debacle on Lemat.

Ben scoots closer and closer until the boy—and saints above, this is a boy, a mere child— is leaning against Vaako's shoulder. Vaako's back is mostly healed, only a slight tightness when he shifts, and there is dried blood itching along his skin; Ben is warm and small against him and it reminds Vaako of when Joanna was small and still a baby.

When Ben goes quiet, not quite asleep, Vaako starts talking. There are the bedtime stories his parents told him and Sam; there are the fairy tales he had told Joanna; there are very modified versions of some adventures with theiEnterprise/i crew. Ben slowly nods off, the tension leeching from his body. Vaako lets him sleep.

* * *

Commander Shay is showing signs of wear. Neither of them can count exactly how many hours they've been searching, but Riddick is Riddick and will simply not stop. The hellhounds are relentless, sniff sniff sniffing.

Finally they hit an alley and the hellhounds trot down it until they hit a body. The body reeks and is covered by various scavengers that scatter when the hellhounds get close. Shay nudges the body over with her boot and makes a face. It is definitely Jax and his neck is snapped.

Riddick stares down at it for a moment, mouth tightening, but he simply follows the hellhounds when the circle, pick up a new scent, and start moving once more.


	16. XVI

I SEE ALL YOU PEOPLE WITH FAVS AND ALERTS. HI! (And thanks!)

* * *

Kori is curled in one corner, red hair vivid against the dark shadows. Ben is against one stone wall, head bowed forward as he sleeps. Vaako is next to the door, eyes wide but unseeing. He is counting steps, one hand at his side tapping out the time against the stone floor. (Two guards at intervals of every half-hour.) He's listening hard, hoping for the slightest murmur of conversation, anything, hoping for info about weapons or strategies or unforgiving 'verse, something about the layout. (These bastards are well trained; there's not a sound aside from the tread of their feet, heavy but muffled.)

A sudden, vicious twitch from Kori breaks his concentration. One foot kicks out as she twists, face scrunched in discomfort. Vaako spares only a second (quiet out in the hall, nobody out there) and then he's moving over to her. A grimace on her face, Kori is still. Vaako reaches out to her and gives a gentle shake to her shoulder. Another few gentle nudges and Kori snaps out of sleep, eyes wide and dark and teary in her pale face. She lets out heavy sob and then attaches herself around his middle without preamble.

He should be used to this. Nobody in the Marines would ever do this— this whole touching without permission, touching for no reason, touching for human contact and comfort— but he remembers hysterics in ambulances, remembers Jim (after every message from his mother, after every fucked up mission, after every bitch fest about the pointy eared hobgoblin), remembers Jocelyn and Joanna. He should be used to this, but he's shocked, startled. Not even noticing, Kori burrows deeper into his side, her crying petering off to sad, quiet whimpers.

Vaako manages to jumpstart his brain and rubs her back, making soft, soothing noises. Eventually she quiets to bare sniffles. She wipes her nose on his stomach, rubs one eye with her fist, and looks up at him, lower lip still trembling the tiniest bit. Vaako draws his fingers through her hair, carefully navigating around the knots in the long locks. "Are you alright?" he asks quietly. It's such a broad, vague question, unforgivingly so, but Kori knows how to manage.

She rubs her running nose with one balled up fist and goes, "I dreamed about Hari. She was sad that I was taken so she tried to find me, but then she got hurt because people here are mean."

He tries to a rearrange a slight smile for her, but he's not quite sure how it works out. "I'll make sure that you get back to your sister." He needs for this happen; Ben and Kori…they don't belong here. Nobody belongs here. Two guards every thirty minutes, he thinks.

Her face brightens with her smile and she snuggles back in his side contentedly. It's so easy to please kids and he can only think back to Joanna and how she had smiled whenever Jocelyn had let him get a comm through.

Kori, though, and her sister Hari—Kori is young, so how old would Hari be? And would Hari even be able to search for her sibling or was she somehow confined to her place? And Ben's Master Telgin, he would have contacts and the abilities to search out his young apprentice if he so wished (as it seemed from the stories Ben had told). And him…

There's a slight tickle along his side. Eyes half-lidded, Kori's absently tracing the painted symbols on his side. He lets her, flinching every so often from the feathery touch, smiling just a bit at her tiny giggles, until she dozes off. In sleep, she doesn't look so haunted.

When he looks up, Ben is staring at him. The boy's blue-green eyes seem to glow in the near dark of the cell. Instilled with the patience from dealing with Jim T. Kirk as a patient, Vaako waits and is rewarded. After some time, Ben quietly asks, "Did you mean that? What you said to her?"

I'll make sure that you get back…

"Yes," Vaako answers truthfully. "I'll make sure you get back too." A humorless smile slips out. "Though it'll probably be easier to find your Master Telgin, then it will be trying to find Kori's sister."

That doesn't seem to appease Ben at all. He waits a beat, tilts his head in the crook of his arm. "And what about you? Who are you going to go back to?"

The Basilica. The Necromongers. "A man named Riddick," he answers.

Ever the curious child, Ben goes, "Who's that?"

Vaako doesn't quite know how to answer that. He finally settles on, "My partner," knowing the kid can interpret however he needs to.

Ben shifts, continues to stare. "Is he searching for you?" His voice is hushed, as if he is asking something forbidden.

This is another question Vaako doesn't know how to answer. With one hand tangled in Kori's red red hair, he lifts his other hand to the empty space underneath his collarbone. "I hope so," he confides and pretends the whisper is smoke, thin and empty and meaningless.

He falls silent and alert as footsteps resound in the hall (two guards, thirty minutes); Ben, taking sign from him, has his eyes closed once more, body lax as if asleep. There's no clink (only one key, one chain), only the rusty, gritty sound of an old lock turning (old: possibly stuck in place, hard to move, possibly weak, easy to break, in some places). One guard sticks the long barrel of his gun in the doorway (not moving in, limited range in shots, no other guns visible, only magazine clips and not many at that); the other guard leans into the doorway (limiting the range even more so of the other guard, one gun clipped on belt beside his magazine clips), depositing a single plate on the ground. The guards step back, the door slams close. Two guards, thirty minutes.

Vaako looks over to Ben. Blue-green eyes glowing eerily, Ben stares at him. "Bread," Ben finally supplies, throwing a quick glance over to the plate. "The other ones weren't poisoned." Pause and Vaako really wants to meet this Master Telgin, "They come every day, once a day, at the same time." His voice is hushed once more with the last sentence.

Vaako relaxes some and looks down at the still sleeping Kori, focusing on her long hair, fingers gently picking out the knots.

Two guards, thirty minutes.


	17. XVII

It is almost morning, stars fading in the beginning light of false dawn. They have been walking this road for a long while, the hellhounds mere shadows before them. The bazaar has vanished long ago, giving way to simplistic domestic areas. Even these have now fallen away, leaving the quiet homes behind them and the wide open desert before them. A few miles ahead of them, there is something like a palace, a manor, a mansion. The hellhounds point their muzzles toward it, eyes gleaming with faint light.

Riddick stops at the last tiny building before this mansion-palace and glances into it. Like many before it, it is empty and still, air stale in its confines. Walking in is easy, both the hellhounds and Commander Shay following. Shay is all stiff posture and tense shoulders and tired eyes and Riddick tells her, "Sleep."

She stares blankly at him for a moment. "My Lord?" she questions, voice raspy.

"Rest for now. Last thing I need is your ass falling behind because you're falling asleep."

She bristles at that, but then that fades away as she stares hard at him. He's tired too, muscles tight and tense, and the need for sleep battles against his need to find Vaako. There's no way he's saying any of that shit though. With a nod, Shay gives in and slumps in the angle where sand-packed floor meets hard wall; she's asleep within seconds. One hellhound breaks from the pack and sits by the open arch of the home. The rest curl around Shay, glowing eyes hidden behind closed lids.

Riddick follows, limbs a loose sprawl in the corner. Reaching up, he touches the pendent beneath the hollow of his throat. It is warm and smooth and does not belong around his neck. They are so so close. Leaning back, Riddick closes his eyes. Sleep is difficult to find, but exhaustion eventually wins out.

* * *

He's been catching fits of sleep, on and off all night, but when he hears the guards (two of them, two, he can take two) coming down the way, a lone chain/key combination jangling, he snaps wide awake. "Ben," he whispers. "Wake Kori. We're heading out." Ben is quiet as he moves, shaking her awake and hushing her small voice with a finger.

"I don't know why the Lady wants him," echoes along the walls and Vaako's counting in his head. It's been thirteen minutes since the last two guards (two guards, thirty minutes; seventeen minutes to go) and this is the chance he's going to take.

Ben crawls over to the nearest corner, Kori held tight against his side. Blood pounding in his ears, Vaako presses his hand to the wall, stilling his fingers. Wait.

"You don't ask questions," echoes, tone deeper than the other. The feet pause, shuffle, outside the door. The chain jingles jingles jingles and the door slides open a fraction, gun muzzle slipping inside.

Wait.

The door opens a little further and the second gun muzzle slips in (not food guards then, different than what he's expecting, fuck). He takes it anyway.

He smacks his hands against the bottom of the gun barrels, watches as both guards jerk back. The first guard is smaller and more startled, so Vaako lunges forward and pulls the gun from the slack grip. (He's pushing as hard and as fast as he can here, not wanting the second one to shoot, to hurt, to kill Ben or Kori. Sweat is already gathering along the back of his neck and he can feel the slide of each individual drop as he pushes pushes pushes his body.)

Slamming the butt of the gun against the head of the smaller guard (one hard slam, the crunch of bone fragile and loud, the blood vivid) knocks him out, dropping him to the ground. The second guard dodges the blow to his head but cannot avoid the punch to his stomach. With a wheeze this guard bends over for only a second and it's here in this split second that Vaako can reach out and snag the gun from the loose hands.

But then the guard is up in the next second, knife pulled from his boot slicing outwards and nearly catching Vaako in the side. Vaako dances backwards, falls into a crouch, and drops this bigger guard with a sweep at his feet. It's a quick scramble up and an even quicker blow to the head and then Ben is helping him drag both guards in.

Then Ben backs up and picks up Kori, hefting her slight weight with a grunt, leaving Vaako to grab the key, the guns, and the clips. The time is somewhere between fifteen and ten minutes (and running down) and that is in no way enough time to figure a way out of here. The door is shut quietly behind them—no need to attract attention now— and Vaako is aiming one gun as he stalks away from the cell, Ben following like a shadow. "If anything happens to me," he orders, "find the nearest window and get out of here. Understand?" Kori's green eyes look wet in the faint light, lower lip wobbling the tiniest bit; Ben's chin dips down in a nod.

There are no guards placed in the halls and Vaako has to wonder if it's due to arrogance or stupidity. Arrogance, he decides, though it's really one and the same. It's easy enough to find the worn and derelict servants' stairs, even easier to hide in the darkness of the corners and slink to the nearest window. Glancing out, he sees the open desert beyond this back corner of the building, the top of a scraggly brush waving against the bottom edge.

He can hear the bustle of a nearby kitchen and Vaako whispers fast and low as he slides the window open. "Once it's clear, run." Saying nothing, Ben slips out the window, but the blue-green of his eyes is dark and angry. Vaako takes a second to press a hand to Kori's cheek, smooth away the stray tear with his thumb, before he lifts her and hands her back over to Ben.

It's now that Ben looks ready to protest, but before he can even open his mouth, sirens start to wail. Vaako no longer spares time; he shuts the window with a curse (best not to leave evidence of where he may have left the kids) and races away, down a random hall. It's now that the guards are filtering out; many don't even notice the fleeing shadow in the darker edges of the hall.

It's in one cross hallway that he gets caught. A guard spots what he actually is (a slave a slave a slave, these bastards made him a fucking slave) and starts to shout. When the guy pulls his gun, Vaako stalks forward.


	18. XVIII

This took forever! I'm sorry, but RL just sucks. And-ZOMG. 40 people on the alerts list? ILU!

* * *

Vaako can't count how many guards he has injured. He also can't count how many guards jumped him, at the end, and wrapped him in chains to drag him…well, wherever they were now. The guards in the corner of the room look uneasy when he shifts; he has to wonder if it's because rumors have started spreading or because of the trail of wounded he left behind him. He shifts again, the chains around him clinking, and the gun barrels follow his motions.

The guards, looking so uneasy, snap to attention when the door slams open. Lady Twii storms in, an indigo flush coloring her cheekbones. She looks furious, eyes shifting from one color to the next (blue-green-gold-green-gold-blue). Frowning, she walks over to him and glares. She slides a claw down his cheek and it tickles along his jawline.

"Soldier," she says, claws tap tap tapping against his jaw. "You seem to have a tendency to do exactly what you should not." One claw burrows through his cheek, twisting so every nerve is lit with pain. Blood floods his mouth as the tip taps against his clenched teeth.

Vaako waits for the right moment. He waits and waits and just as the Lady is about to tap against his teeth one more fucking time, he bites. The claw snaps beneath his teeth, she shrieks in what sounds like pain, and he spits the broken bit at her feet. She slices his cheek when she jerks her hand back, but the rage in her eyes (blue-green-gold-blue) is deep and dark.

With a barely repressed snarl, she grabs his face, claws, even the jagged one, digging into his skin. They dig—dig—_dig_—until all of them are scratching at enamel. (He breathes through his nose, but even that little bit of motion makes fire lance wildly across his face.) "This makes my point exactly, soldier." She leans forward. "You need to learn obedience and discipline." When she removes her hand, she lets her claws drag, gouging his cheeks.

He feels the rending of tissues, of muscle, and the warm drip of blood, but he pushes down the flare of pain to smile bloody up at her. Her eyes narrow (shift shift shifting colors), but that is the only other sign of her displeasure with him.

For a moment Vaako thinks something in his ear has burst, because he hears pounding. But then Lady Twii glances coolly over one shoulder and goes, "Enter."

The door gets kicked open. Monkey-girl Chula bounds in, curls a wild mess, dark eyes warily glancing backwards. That man—the bastard who fucking caught him—Domack—struggles his way into the room, tugging _something_ on a chain behind him. He gives a particularly vicious tug and the creature at the end of the chain tumbles into the room.

She's tall and slender and her dark green skin is barely covered by the pale shift. Her auburn braids swing as she fights, but her webbed feet, her webbed hands, are tied together, so she can't do much. Her eyes are pure black, like shiny pools of old Earth ink, and her growl is vicious, laden with fierce words in a language Vaako does not understand. Domack gives the chain another tug, but his expression…there's something…

Lady Twii walks away from him and casually backhands the girl into a stunned silence. (The silence lasts a mere second and then she's cursing again. Vaako wants to kiss this girl, wants her to keep cursing, wants her to keep fighting. Lady Twii and Domack start talking and ignore her.)

"Master Domack," Lady Twii says, flicking her claws together. They clack, blood flecks falling off of them. "Wonderful timing." Her smile is thin and malicious as she leans down and strokes one dark cheek of the girl. The girl flinches away from the touch and snaps her pointy teeth.

She turns back towards Vaako, throwing, "Tie her up," over one shoulder. The room is empty of furniture, but one guard starts wheeling down a chain from the ceiling. Domack—looking pale under his dark skin—drags the struggling girl over to it and places the girl's chain over the hook. The chain gets wheeled back up so the girl is stretched out, toes barely reaching the ground. This scene looks familiar and Vaako remembers guards with whips.

Lady Twii drags one claw down the girl's cheek, dark blood marking the path; the girl winces, hisses, but can do little else.

"Soldier," the Lady says absently, "you are magnificent because of your healing powers. But that makes it hard to instill discipline." She twists her claw in a sharp motion and the girl spits out a word at her. "Yet you lose your chance to escape by freeing the younglings." Her smile is much too-knowing when she looks at Vaako.

"Compassion," she sighs. "Such a weakness."

Her eyes glitter as they turn gold and Vaako's stomach drops.

* * *

Riddick snaps awake when he hears the growl of a hellhound. He's up and moving before he processes anything and reaches out of the tiny hut to snatch up—a kid? The brat has red hair and green eyes and she stares at him in confusion for a second before cheerily crowing, "Hi!" as if nothing is wrong with this situation.

The door shudders open and another brat stumbles in, looking about as fierce as a kitten. The expression dies when he spots Riddick and the girl. "Sir, I apologize for this, but—," he swallows, looking pale and nervous, "—please. Just. Just let her go."

Riddick just about the sets the girl down and kicks them out, but he stops. The hellhounds aren't growling anymore. All of them, even the ones around Shay, are watching the kids with bright eyes and perked ears. The closest one is sniffing at the boy interestedly.

He's missing something here.

Carefully, he sets the girl down. She lets out a happy shriek and tackles the sniffing hellhound, who, surprisingly, does not bite her head off. It snuffles at her and then stops, settling to be pet by this child with a long-suffering noise.

He's missing something here, and it's something big.

The boy is fearfully watching the girl and hellhound when Riddick steps forward. Only then does his glance move over, wary and distrustful. "Where did you two come from?" Riddick asks.

Shifting a step backward, the boy sizes him up. His mouth is staying shut, but the girl—this gleeful strange _thing_—lets go of the hellhound to say, "The Lady. She stole us." She looks solemn for a split second before being distracted by the hellhound again.

That scared look has crept back onto the boy's face. He grabs the girl and pulls her close, carefully moving back. "The compound," he clarifies distractedly. His eyes are on Riddick, obviously waiting for the moment to run. (He's projecting loudly with his body and there has to be training or experience there but—)

"The compound?" And Riddick points in the direction of the mansion the hellhounds have been leading him towards. His heart does not start racing, but it's a near thing. "That one?" The boy nods, still distracted. "Did you run into a soldier called Vaako?" He keeps his voice low, his tone steady. It's difficult.

The brats' faces brighten. "Yeah!" the girl giggles, clapping her hands, but then she squirms away from the boy to attack the hellhound again. (It would explain this, at least. If Vaako were taking care of them, then his scent—but that's _if_. Only _if_.)

The boy looks uncertain, but he's not moving back anymore. "Are…are you Riddick?"

"Yeah, and?"

The boy's eyes go clear. "Vaako got us out. He's there. In the compound."

Behind him, Riddick can hear Commander Shay fuzzily go, "My Lord?"

Ignoring Shay, he crouches down to look this boy in the eye. "You're going to tell me everything." His fingers twitch with the urge to touch the pendent at his throat, but he stills them and listens as the boy—as Ben—talks.


	19. IXX

So, hi. I still exist. (This whole, feeling guilty about not updating for months is part of the reason why I don't write chaptered stories anymore.) But, so, apparently there are about 40 people who have favv'ed this and about 60 who have this on alert. I would just like to say: HELLO OUT THERE AND THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR READING.

* * *

There are tears running down the girl's cheeks. She's cursing up a storm in a language Vaako doesn't know, but there's pain running through each and every forced-out word. What little is left of the pale shift she had on is now dark, stained by blood. And there's the Lady, standing quite contently in front of the girl, peeling back the girl's skin with her claws.

The Lady slices off another piece of green and lets it drop to the ground with a wet _splat_. In the corner, Vaako notices both Chula and Domack flinch at the sound. The Lady clicks her claws and stares contemplatively at the open space of the girl's abdomen. "Ah, soldier," she says, addressing him without ever moving her eyes, "You'd be so useful if it weren't for that trice-cursed compassion."

This is what she's been saying for the past who knows how long. (Vaako knows how long; it's been as long as it takes to peel a good majority of the skin away from the small area of a young girl's front.) The Lady sighs and says the other thing she keeps going on about. "You need to be obedient."

When the Lady rakes her claws down the exposed gleam of muscle, the girl screams. Vaako makes himself watch. There is the taste of copper, like the scent of old-time pennies, at the back of his throat. He had screamed himself hoarse at the beginning, yelling that he'd obey if she'd let the girl go. The Lady had just given him a patronizing look and remarked, "Do you think I am novice with this? This is not an offer. This is a lesson."

Domack looks pale, but he's not moving. Chula is letting out soft whines, fidgeting nervously at every other sound. The guards surround them all, still, but not blank; Vaako can see the discomfort, the revulsion, the guilt, all hiding right below unsmiling mouths, furrowed brows, and indirect glances. This girl, her voice is loud, broken, but still angry as all fuck. Vaako is wishing hard that they make it out of here, but he's seen enough in the 'verse that he knows the most likely outcome.

Kidnapped once, tied in rope and placed against a tree; solution: pieces of wood to fray the rope. Kidnapped twice, locked in plasteel cuffs; solution: no viable solution, damn it all (except for the kidnapper being killed). Kidnapped thrice, immobilized by metal chains; possible solution:…he doesn't know. The key is out of his reach. The chains are wrapped around his body, so he can't quite slip out. And he can't fight this many people in them. He's stuck.

Eyes flickering to dark blue, the Lady draws a single claw through the mass of faintly twitching muscle. The girl groans and tries to jerk away, but the Lady draws in close and does not let the girl out of her reach. "Stay still!" the Lady snaps, irritated. "The soldier needs to learn his lesson."

Moaning, the girl spits fierce words. "Yes, yes," Lady Twii replies absently. Removing her claw with a sharp movement (and ignoring the girl's cry), the Lady turns her gaze to Vaako. "I will need you name at some point, soldier. You will have to follow many orders and 'soldier' is not the best way to address you." Without faltering she turns back to the girl and starts slicing at another flap of skin.

Domack, in the corner, stares at the girl and the Lady's bloody claws for a long moment; then, gaze moving, he tries to pull on a smile. "My Lady," he says amiably, though the smile is already faltering, "I will be just a moment, and then I will return." Placing a hand on Chula's rounded shoulder, they walk from the room.

With a scream the girl jerks again as Lady Twii twist-digs her claws into flesh. Pull, pull, i_pull_/i, and another wet handful of skin drops to the ground. Vaako is watching each and every movement, cataloging them. This is another person he cannot save. The foreign words are echoing with the screams of every other ghost locked in his head. It's destructive (which Jim would reproach, in James T. Kirk manner, him for this and Sam would probably agree), but he needs to do this, to remember. The girl sobs and all Vaako can see is dark blood, dripping steadily to the floor.

The door creaks open and Chula and Domack step back into the room. Domack somehow looks a little more composed, color back in his cheeks, but Chula is twitchy, eyes darting every which way. All the guards and Lady Twii ignore the two of them.

Domack stands in his corner, unmoving, but Chula slides behind the guards, slides against the wall and around everybody and everything, until she is right behind Vaako. The back of Vaako's neck prickles with sweat, but he keeps his eyes on the girl and Lady Twii. Whatever this monkey-girl can do to him, it'll be nothing to what he's endured in his life.

He waits for the hit, for the stab, for i_something_/i. Instead, after a few long moments (when Lady Twii is in the middle of seeing how far one claw will go and listening to the resonance of the girl's sobs), the chains around his wrists shift. The chains around his wrists shift just slightly and then there's the quiet click of a key in a lock. There's a subtle loosening at his wrists, around his neck, around the breadth of his torso.

Chula sneaks from behind around him. She stares at him, eyes dark and big and soft, until she decides to quietly scamper back over to Domack. Vaako breathes and feels the chains loosen even more. He meets Domack's eyes; there's something bright in those eyes, but Vaako can't tell what it is. Anger, perhaps. Guilt, maybe. Rebellion, possibly. A humorless quirk at the corners of his mouth, Domack dips his chin down and flicks his gaze over to the door.

Vaako breathes and waits.

* * *

Riddick stands. Ben is quiet now, story told. Kori is idly petting one hellhound, but she's also watching Riddick. Nearby Commander Shay is alert, straight-backed and already with gun in hand. Deciding, Riddick turns towards the door. "Stay here," he orders the brats and strides out.

The one hellhound stays with the kids, submitting to Kori's happy pets, but the rest and Commander Shay follow him out. Like any good Necromonger, she's not even asking as he walks.

They're so close.

Riddick still wants to reach up and touch the pendent, but his hands are instead busy with his shivs. They glint in the early morning suns, flashing their sole warning.


	20. XX

Vaako has to wait for the right moment; he has to. If he fucks this up, then the girl is going to be dead. He wants her alive, cursing and kicking like she is now. He ignores the niggling thought at the back of his mind, the one that's repeating that this will not end well, no matter how much he tries.

He has to wait for the right moment. The guards may look discomfited, but there's the chance they'll still be loyal. There are guns in their hands and strapped to their belts and Vaako already knows too well the feeling of bullets tearing through his flesh.

He watches as Lady Twii slides her claws through twitching muscles and all the behaviors Jim had managed to condition into him—all the heroism that Jim loved and managed to con everybody into—stands to attention. There is sweat along his forehead, his muscles are tensed, and the girl lets out a strangled curse as blood drips from her open body.

He moves before he even realizes it. The chains clatter as they hit the ground and everyone turns to stare at him. He's not thinking as the guards raise their guns and start to fire. He hears the report of ammunition, feels it cut through him, but the noises behind him suddenly change to something else, something where guns are not being fired at him; he can't spare the extra second to look and see what it is.

Lady Twii's eyes are narrowed as she turns away from the chained girl and faces him. "Soldier," she says, a reprimand. She steps forward to meet him and then they're fighting. He's carefully watching her hands and pulling back when the claws near his side. (He can't let her get to those paralyzing nerves. If she does that'll be it for him; worse, that'll be it for the girl.)

She's fast, which is bad, but he's just that bit faster to save his own skin. He's watching her and watching her and fighting as best as he can. It's not thought that's dominating anymore; it's all instinct and experience.

It's punching and kicking and dodging until she falters. It wouldn't be such mistake if she were dealing with someone else, but he has been in one too many battles. It's easy to step into her space and wrap his hands around her throat. Something gill-like flutters against the palm of his hands as her eyes widen. Her hand darts around, claws reaching for those nerves.

However, he's too fast. The claws are deep in his skin, but he can still move. Her neck snaps, the sound loud and brittle. She drops, dead weight, but his attention is no longer on her, but on the girl.

The girl is saying something in the language she's been screaming in for however long, but he's focusing on the lacerations in the oblique muscles of her abdomen. Her voice is scratchy, probably from the screaming, but it is gentle now, quiet. He doesn't understand what she's saying; he doesn't try to.

There are sounds behind him: footsteps. Domack's voice, breathless: "I couldn't let the Lady do that. Not anymore. I couldn't." Panting, trying to catch breath back. "You needed the help anyway. The guards would have shot you down immediately." There's a snort. "Chula's been meaning to get back at them anyway. They always mess with her when we come here."

He's focusing on the hemorrhaging he sees and feels and is wondering how he's going to stop it.

There's a shuffle as he stands and eyes the chains. He needs to get the girl down. He needs her down and flat so he can work better. A hand catches his before he can even touch the chains. He turns and glares.

Domack is bruised and bloodied. "Let her go," he says and squeezes his hand tighter around Vaako's arm. "You can't help her. We need to get out of her anyway before the guards wake back up."

It's easy to punch Domack and even easier to keep doing so. These fuckers, they've caused all this shit. It's the people like Domack and Chula and Lady Twii that have screwed the 'verse over so badly. Chula jumps on his back, screeching and clawing. He throws her off and keeps punching.

Vaako only stops when he hears the soft whimper behind him. Somewhere deep, he's still a doctor and moves back to the girl in the chains, wondering how to get her down. A jingle and keys land next to his foot. He knows it's Chula or Domack, but he could care less as he finds the appropriate key and unlocks the girl's chains.

She's breathing hard as he lowers her to the floor, but he's thinking of ways to stop the bleeding. There are methods after methods but there is so much here. He's staring at open expanse of the girl's torso, wondering just where to start, when a webbed hand touches his cheek. The girl softly says something in her language, but he can't be bothered. There is too much blood and not enough time.

The girl lies back and her breathing starts to slow. Her breathing slows and slows and slows and once Vaako catches on, he's too late to do anything about it.

* * *

The mansion, when they enter it, is silent. It's enough to make Riddick pause in the shadow of the doorway. When nothing happens, no sound coming, Riddick continues on his way, Commander Shay following.

There are no people, no guards. He keeps waiting for some guard to jump out, but there is nothing. He glances into empty rooms and sees no one.

In one corner of the mansion, there are cells. One has its door swung open, but it is bare. The rest are empty and silent.

He and Shay walk carefully, quietly. Shay makes no comment, but he can guess where her thought are. Vaako's gone again.

Finally, they walk pass a room and there are people in it. Guards, unconscious, lie on the floor. A woman in rich robes is crumpled on the ground, her head twisted at a fatal angle. A window is cracked open, blood dripping over the sill, as if someone wounded had jumped out; the ground is not too far down and the blood trails off into the distance.

Vaako is in the middle of the room. There are no wounds, no blood, but his expression is open and raw in a way that Riddick hasn't seen before. There's a girl lying before Vaako. Her tiny shift is split, but so is her skin and muscles. She's not breathing.

Carefully, Riddick walks over. When Riddick places a hand on his bent shoulder, Vaako closes his eyes. He breathes.


End file.
